I think there are different kinds of smarts, and ultimately it comes down to your goals. Someone who is a mathematical genius may not be 'smart' with their money, and could end up broke.
I totally agree with you. There are different kinds of being smart. But maybe if you are smart in life, like how to get a good work of how to get hired at work that is already being strategic. I think the word smart is similar at being strategic, and you can be called smart when you are stategic in life. So I think these words are synonyms.