07/03/2026
As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, our founder, Kasia Marczyk, reflects on her journey from Poland to the country she now proudly calls home.
Her story is one of education, opportunity, gratitude, and the people who helped shape her journey.
We hope you’ll enjoy reading it.
The Country That Became Home 🇺🇸
Twenty-nine years ago, I came to America believing I was only passing through.
Like so many immigrants, I thought this would be a temporary chapter in my life. I had no idea I was beginning the rest of it.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, I’ve found myself reflecting on how that temporary stay became home.
Today, I’ve lived in the United States longer than I ever lived in Poland. Every chapter of my adult life has unfolded here. And after nearly three decades, I can honestly say something I never imagined would be true:
I feel as American as I feel Polish.
Not because I replaced one identity with another.
But because I was fortunate enough to gain a second home.
If you’ve never left your home country, it’s difficult to explain what that feels like. There is a quiet longing that never completely disappears. You miss your family, your traditions, your language, and the familiar places that shaped your childhood.
Home is never forgotten.
But alongside that longing, something else began to grow: gratitude—for the people who welcomed me, the opportunities I never imagined, and the country that allowed me to build a future while honoring my past.
I was born in Poland, a country with more than a thousand years of history. It gave me my values, my resilience, my work ethic, and my deep appreciation for family. Those qualities traveled with me across the Atlantic.
America didn’t create those qualities.
It gave them room to grow.
I arrived with humble beginnings, an enormous amount of hope, and an ambitious spirit. I worked as a nanny while putting myself through college. It wasn’t easy. There were days when I was exhausted, uncertain, and far from everyone I loved.
But there was never a day when I believed my dreams were out of reach.
America didn’t give me success. It gave me the opportunity to earn it.
Everything changed the first day I walked onto a college campus in New York City.
That moment is still vivid in my mind.
Going to college had always been my dream. Standing there, I realized that what once felt impossible had suddenly become possible.
For the first time, I didn’t just feel like I was living in America.
I felt like I belonged.
That day wasn’t simply the beginning of my education.
It was the beginning of the life I would build.
Education opened the first door.
Behind that door came mentors who believed in me, friends who became family, clients who placed their trust in me, and opportunities I never imagined. Eventually, those experiences led me to found Anchor Wealth Management Group.
Along the way, I also met my husband, and together we built our life here.
Looking back, I realize my story was never built by opportunity alone. It was built by people who opened doors, shared their wisdom, extended kindness, and believed in me before I fully believed in myself.
Those experiences shaped not only my career but also the values upon which I built my business:
Education.
Expertise.
Empathy.
Education changed the trajectory of my life.
Expertise gave me the responsibility to serve others with excellence.
Empathy came from remembering what it feels like to start over, to miss home, to work tirelessly for every opportunity, and to hope that someone will believe in you before you’ve had the chance to prove yourself.
Every family I have the privilege of serving reminds me why this work matters. Financial planning is about so much more than numbers. It’s about creating confidence, security, and hope for the future.
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, I also think about the generations of immigrants who came before me.
I didn’t arrive through Ellis Island, and my journey looked very different from theirs.
But the heart of the immigrant story hasn’t changed.
Hope.
Courage.
Hard work.
The belief that tomorrow can be better than today.
That leap of faith continues to shape America’s story.
My hope for America’s next 250 years is simple.
That we continue investing in education.
That hard work continues to meet opportunity.
That we continue building communities where people are welcomed, encouraged, and inspired to contribute.
Twenty-nine years ago, I came here believing I was only passing through.
Instead, I found an education.
A career.
Mentors who believed in me.
Friends who became family.
A husband with whom I built a life.
A community.
A purpose.
And a home.
Poland gave me my roots.
America gave me room to grow.
For that, I will always be grateful to both 🇵🇱🇺🇸
Rutgers University
