Happy Blogiversary to Me (and a prize too)

I have been writing Above the Market for eight years. Wow. That’s hard to write and harder to believe.

I began in August of 2011. I started and still write largely to clarify my own thinking and to force and enforce commitment on my part. Actual readers are a lovely bonus I didn’t expect when I started and that I never take for granted. After many hundreds of thousands of visitors from nearly 200 countries, I remain astonished at the level of interest Above the Market has received — it is far beyond anything I thought possible, much less likely. I appreciate every reader. Anyone who writes wants to be read most of all.

A few people deserve special mention and thanks.

Tom Brakke (his terrific blog is The Research Puzzle) generously offered outstanding help and guidance before I even had any readers to speak of and continues to offer wise advice whenever I ask. Tadas Viskanta provided my first distribution (exactly one month in) to the expert community he serves via his crucial blog, Abnormal Returns, which remains the standard for its type. I have now appeared there approaching 300 times, and am extremely grateful for having done so. Joe Calhoun upped my exposure tremendously via Real Clear Markets, in which I have appeared almost as often. I am grateful and humbled to be featured often at these and other excellent sites, including Cullen Roche’s outstanding Pragmatic Capitalism, the indispensable The Big Picture from Barry Ritholtz, Bill Zimmer’s The Prudent Trader, Charles Kirk’s The Kirk Report and Josh Brown’s wonderful The Reformed Broker. Other regular linkers include the CFA Institute, Ben Carlson’s fantastic A Wealth of Common Sense, Michael Kitces (the authority on financial planning), Wade Pfau (the authority on retirement income planning) and the previously mentioned Mr. Brakke. Jason Zweig and Morgan Housel — giants in financial journalism — have provided much help and inspiration. Brian Portnoy, Nir Kaissar, Corey Hoffstein, Jack Vogel, Peter Huminski, Rick Ferri, and “Jake” have offered friendship and much very good counsel. My apologies in advance for those I have foolishly omitted.

Thank you all.

I think the following five are my best posts. I list them in no particular order. I would love for you to read them again or read them for the first time.

Horrid Facts, Stubborn Facts
Underestimating the Density of the Fog
The Apocalypse is (Always) Nigh (especially appropriate this week)
Complexity, Chaos and Chance
Chris Rock Explains Bias Blindness

I had a blast writing this recent post and love it even though almost nobody read it: Behavioral Finance: a (Mostly) Musical Revue.

In order to celebrate this blogiversary and as a way of expressing my gratitude to readers, everyone who comments on one of my posts linked above in the comments below or on Twitter will be entered into a drawing for a new Kindle. Good luck.

To everyone who has read, supported and helped me with this effort: Thank You! I hope eight years leads to many more.

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