It was the 80’s, and I was just a freshly minted 16-year old. I had received a Rotary International Exchange student scholarship and would call São Paulo, Brazil, my home for the next fourteen months.
Little did I know all I was in for.
My first impression of Brazil was entering the international airport and seeing the Federal Police armed with Uzis. “Bem vindo, gringo!” — Welcome to Brazil!
In the 80’s, Brazil was briefly run by the military. While I was living there, they were deep in the middle of hyper-inflation with rates hitting 20% and 30% a month! No, that’s not a typo. 30% inflation a month! That sends economies into a tailspin… fast!
But in this chaos, I learned a secret to wealth accumulation from my host family father, Benedito “Maximo” de Conçeicão. Or just “Maximo,” as everyone called him.
But he always made a detour on the way home, and I never understood it until now. He explained that, every day, he would steal a little off the top from each of the stores. On some days, when the take was low, he’d only swipe 5% or so. However, on other days that had more sales, he would lift 10% or even 20%. Then, he would take that money to the local travel agency and use it to steal them wealthy.
