Just over two months since David ‘Kochie’ Koch farewelled viewers for the final time after 21 years of hosting Sunrise, the 67-year-old has been appointed to an exciting new role as Economic Director at Compare the Market.
WATCH NOW: David Koch reveals he is stepping down from Sunrise. Article continues after video.
For those who have not seen the viral ‘compare the meerkat’ ads on your television screens, Compare the Market offers Aussies an easy way to compare insurance premiums online, for free.
From health to car, to home and contents, travel, life and even income protection, and home loans, you’ll be left assured you have a better bargain than the last time you locked in a premium.
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It’s not a huge shock then that Kochie decided to come out of his “retirement” after two months to join forces with the insurance company, the media personality long having an interest in helping Aussies save some money.
“It’s the perfect fit for me!,” Kochie tells New Idea as he reflects upon his new role.
“Even though everybody knows me as the Sunrise host, I’ve always been a finance nerd, always been a finance journalist and a personal investment journalist…..Sunrise was a mistake that got out of control,” he laughs.
“After 21 years of shift work, that was enough for me and [now] I’ve gone back to my roots!”
Kochie admits that whilst he has “always tried to help average Australians better manage their money”, he hoped in his new role he could break the misconception that managing money is “difficult.”
“I’ve always seen myself as being the interpreter between all the research, all the stats out there to simplify everything down into easy to understand bites of information that can make a huge difference.”
According to Kochie, he’s attracted plenty of big partnership deals from financial institutions over the years, but has never aligned himself with them, that is, until Compare the Market came along.
“[Aligning with them] would go against all my advice I’ve given over the years which is that you’ve got to shop around with everything to get the best deal, and that’s what I’ve written books about, what I’ve done TV and radio shows about all my career.”
“[But] Compare the Market is exactly what I’ve been preaching for years. You’ve just got to take the time to get the information you need to see whether you are getting the best deal in the market.”
Despite being dubbed a “cost of living champion” by Compare the Market Chief Executive Office Rob Clancy, Kochie says his wife of more than four decades Libby is the true champion.
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“She manages our household budget ruthlessly. She’s been using it [Compare the Market] for 10 years, she’s a disciple of it.”
And what of the current cost of living crisis? Does Kochie have any predictions as to when Aussies will get a break?
“It’s gonna stay tough for a while. It doesn’t look like they are going to go up further. Inflation is trending down, but very slowly.”
“I think the message is that this squeeze on people’s cost of living is gonna stay around for a while. It’s not going to get a lot worse, but it’s not going to get better quickly. So if you’re finding it tough now, you really need to make every financial decision count and make sure you’re getting the best deal.”
As for how Kochie’s new work routine will impact his sleeping schedule, the television veteran says he’s enjoying sleeping in.
“It’s no longer 3:30am, it’s around 6:30am,” he reveals as his new wake-up time.
“I go for a walk along the beach or I go to the gym like everybody else and let me tell you I’m loving it.”
