From his youthful appearance, it might come as a surprise that Daniel Wiguna is an economics and business news anchor for a business-oriented news channel. When he met with The Jakarta Post in person on Jan. 8, he came across as no different from most casual-looking, early thirtysomething urbanites. Moreover, apart from his day job, he shared that he often spent his free time either working out, learning about fund trading, watching films or reading old comic books. The very definition of a “cool guy”, the person who has got it all figured out.

That being said, the 32-year-old news anchor believed that being a “cool guy” was less about the swag and more about the person. "We're the ones who make things cool, not the other way around. That's what I always believe," he declared confidently.

Another thing that Daniel makes cool is the seemingly complicated world of finance. As a news anchor at CNBC Indonesia, his job not only entails serving his audience with the latest headlines of the day but also encouraging his fellow youth to start nurturing their inquisitiveness into what really goes on in their wallets.

Educating Daniel

Born in January 1989, Daniel spent his childhood in Bali before relocating to Makassar when he was in the third grade. As a teenager, he described himself as "flexible, eager to understand new things".

"I was the kind of boy who had this very high inquisitiveness," he said. "And I was not afraid of being wrong, because when I made blunders, I would force myself to find the solution, the way out."

After graduating from high school, Daniel moved to Jakarta to pursue his bachelor's degree at Bina Nusantara (BINUS) University, initially majoring in computerized accounting before making a permanent switch to marketing communication. Influenced by the strictness of family, he professed that he spent most of his campus life studying "so that I could score good grades and subsequently, good jobs," he said. Such a mindset seemed to pay off: after finishing his bachelor's degree, he was offered an internship at Chevron Indonesia.

In 2012, Daniel continued his education by pursuing his master's degree at LSPR Communication & Business Institute, during which his curiosity about the world of business and finance took flight. This interest stemmed from his discovery that, when all is said and done, all things come down to the bread and the butter. "You can't do branding without business. It’s a very easy and simple postulation, but it makes everything whole," he said.

Daniel found his first "stable job" at his alma mater the following year — he served as a lecturer at the School of Economics and Communication at BINUS University. His decision to become an educator was driven by the "satisfaction" that he often experiences from imparting new knowledge to others. "It gives me satisfaction when I can make other people understand new things and inspire them to have new spirit to start whatever it is they dream of," he said.

He suspected that teaching might have been his innate talent all along.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I think it runs in the family," he chuckled. "My grandmother was a school principal and my father was a teacher at a mechanical engineering school in Solo, so I don't know—maybe it's in my blood."

Landing the news desk

In 2018, Daniel was offered a different kind of vocation: the position of news anchor for business-oriented news channel CNBC Indonesia. Owned by Trans Media in partnership with Comcast Corporation's NBCUniversal, the news channel was officially launched on Oct. 10, 2018, and presented in Bahasa Indonesia. Since its conception, CNBC Indonesia has focused on business, economics, finance, the stock market and the stock exchange.

He declared that being a news anchor was his "dream job" as long as it met a certain condition: that the news would be focused on business, economics, and finance. Fortunately, CNBC Indonesia seemed like a perfect match for his idealism.

"There are young news anchors out there, but they don't talk about the economy. We know how complicated and how deep that topic is, so that's why we have to be very consummate at it."

Considering his previous background as an educator and not a newscaster, Daniel understood from the get-go that he had his work cut out for him. Moreover, his relatively young age could result in underestimation by his audience—a scenario that he constantly tries to dispel.

"When a young guy shows up on a business news channel, the image that he presents should be that he's smart, that he's adept and that he understands what is being discussed. In the business world, what is required is trust. So, when I stand there and talk, I am set to obtain the audience's trust."

As he carried on with his new vocation, he also came to realize that being a news anchor and being an educator shares a "similar nature". From his experience, he learned that more often than not, younger teachers are more "likable" in the eyes of the students than the older, more conservative-thinking ones.

"When we are likable, we are seen as more relatable as well," he added.

Over time, he learned what he called the "art" of being a news anchor.

 "There's an art to this, how to make people believe in us. And when they do, I don't need to waste a lot of time discussing something. It gets easier to connect with people, to relate to them."

Another challenge that Daniel faces on a day-to-day basis is program rotation. CNBC Indonesia encourages all of its news anchors to host all of the channel's news programs on a rotational basis including Squawk Box Indonesia, Power Lunch Indonesia and Closing Bell Indonesia. Out of all the programs, he has been more frequently seen hosting Investime. He also frequently hosts CNBC Indonesia's podcast Cuap Cuap Cuan.

"That's the beauty of being a CNBC news anchor: we have to be able to cover everything," he remarked.

Sandwich generation

Is it tough being a young guy talking about finance? At least for Daniel Wiguna, the question was a no-brainer.

"Sometimes my hands get cold. Tremors come over me and I am too shaky to hold a pen and a piece of paper!" he answered with a cheeky laugh.

A recent example was when he conducted a one-to-one interview with Malaysia’s current finance minister, the 48-year-old Tengku Zafrul Aziz. The interview was broadcast in November 2021, in which the two discussed how Malaysia handled its debt ceiling against the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat his nerves, Daniel prepared the old-fashion way:

"All I could do was study [the topic] for two nights straight just so that I could immerse myself in the issue. I knew I couldn't be as savvy as he was. What was important was that I understood what I was about to question him."

Despite his tenure at CNBC Indonesia, Daniel still maintains his job as a lecturer at BINUS University. The reason is very simple: "I see being a university lecturer as a form of service."

One of his students, Andi Shalini, praised Daniel's uncanny ability to "communicate".

"He's able to communicate really well with his students despite their differing characters. He always appreciates his students' efforts and offers clear and constructive feedback," said the student.

As both a finance news anchor and an educator, he feels more compelled than ever to raise financial literacy among the youth and his peers. From his perspective, the hot-buttoned finance issue that young people should be aware of the most is the complex circumstances of being the "sandwich generation" caused by the "middle-income trap".

"Lots of young people – the millennials, we should say – are working, but oftentimes they're too afraid to get married and find themselves unable to buy a house. That's why if it's possible, what the millennials are facing right now should not happen to the Gen Z," he explained.

Daniel's best advice is for young people to start considering mutual funds investment.

"Our parents are more conservative opting for bonds or savings deposits. However, sometimes they offer a return value that is lower than the inflation rate. If we want to aim higher than the inflation rate and the bank interest, mutual funds could be considered an option."

Popular

Ministry orders remote working for civil servants to help ease traffic congestion

Netanyahu vows victory after Iran strikes, fears of wider conflict grow

18 people killed in South Sulawesi landslide