By Dr. Ndubuisi “Andy” Egwim – MBBS, former NHS Salaried GP, author of The Moneywise Doctor.
Moneywise Doctor provides financial education, not regulated financial advice.
Eleven years ago today, I landed at London Heathrow for the first time. 16 September 2015 marked the start of my journey from arriving in the UK as an international doctor to eventually becoming financially independent, leaving my salaried NHS job, and building Moneywise Doctor. I couldn’t have predicted any of what came next.
This is that story, and the one lesson from it I think matters more than any of the others.
How it started
I came to the UK as a doctor to study for a Master’s in International Health at the University of Nottingham. I had no idea what the next eleven years would actually look like.
Running out of money. Working in a factory. A bakery. A university kitchen. Finding my way back into medicine and eventually becoming a Portfolio GP.
How it built from there
Starting businesses that worked, and others that didn’t. Investing all along. Becoming financially independent and eventually leaving my salaried NHS job.
Building Moneywise Doctor. Writing a bestselling book. Speaking at conferences. Building MWD:OS. And somewhere in between, building a family and finding a wonderful community.
The biggest lesson from eleven years
There are probably eleven lessons I could share from those eleven years. But perhaps the biggest is this: starting again doesn’t mean starting from zero.
Your circumstances may change. Your title may disappear. You may find yourself doing work you never imagined you’d be doing. But your skills, experiences, and everything you’ve learned come with you.
At one point, I was a qualified doctor working in a factory. That was a chapter. It wasn’t the whole story.
Looking back after eleven years
Eleven years feels incredibly long when you’re looking forward. It feels remarkably short when you look back.
I’m grateful for the journey, and especially for the people I’ve met along the way.
If you could send one lesson back to yourself eleven years ago, what would it be?
Where to start if you’re figuring out your own financial path
Every chapter in this story, the factory job, the return to medicine, the businesses that worked and the ones that didn’t, eventually needed one thing in common: a clear, honest view of where I actually stood financially. That’s exactly what the MEDSCAN was built to give doctors.
Related reading
Diagnose Your Financial Blind Spots
The MEDSCAN is a financial diagnostic system designed specifically for doctors.
It helps you:
- Identify hidden financial gaps
- Spot risks before they become costly
- Uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight
Take the MEDSCAN here.
If you want more reflections like this one alongside practical financial guidance, subscribe to the Moneywise Doctor weekly newsletter