At some point over the weekend I published my 3000th blog post.

Time for celebration- no? Time for 500 words of reflection – yes!

I think publishing stuff that might interest others is now an activity of daily living for me. I would like people to feel that way about reading it and I’m very grateful for the people who read me regularly, it’s opinion affirming!

Gregg McClymont calls my blog “the bully pulpit”, there is a small but growing group of people who would like to turn off the tap and there are some 15,000 regular readers, who enjoy seeing pensions through my eyes (from time to time).

If you set out to make a blog achieve something, you lose the agility to respond to what people want. Blog stats are very important to me, they tell me what people read and what they don’t, they tell me when to publish and how often.

My blog has, I hoped, achieved something – I hope it has kept alive some flames that otherwise might have flickered. Sometimes I can report quicker than others and sometimes I can comment on matters with greater freedom.

Most importantly, I am given the freedom to write as I please by the people who employ me. First Actuarial do not endorse what I say, but nor do they seek to edit me. There will be times when they ask me to respect confidences.

I accept that many conversations I have start “and this is not for your blog” and I respect those comments too. I appreciate that people have half-baked ideas they want to bounce off me , without me telling everyone that is what they want to do.

But there are other times when I find behaviour that is so poor that I will not sit on it. The conflicts of interest that arise from advisors offering vertically integrated asset management products, need to be publicised (for instance).

One thing that I’ve noticed, is that those who are angriest with me are those who are least secure. I suspect that the insecurity stems from an inward recognition that I am right and they are wrong. Even close friends can threaten me.

But after 3000 blogs, I haven’t found this blog in court, nor have I lost a friend I valued.

Publishing myself and the articles of others is business as usual for me and I suspect that there is plenty of water in the tank, the tap isn’t being turned off any time soon.

I ask nothing of you – my readers – please only comment because you want to – subscribe if you want to. Do not try to pay me money to publish your stuff and don’t be offended if I don’t like what you are saying and won’t publish.

Last week was my record week for “reads”. It was bolstered by 3,000 people working in the steel industry – people who I never thought to reach. That was down to just two people who promoted my blogs on their pages (the power of social media).

When I can find people like this, and talk to them about pensions in such a way that they come away with more confidence, then I feel the blog is really doing its job.

But these moments are exceptions, my blog tells me there are just over 3,000 others who get my blog delivered to them one way or another. All of which makes me suspicious about the number 3,000.

Whether you are occasional or regular, a hater- or a lover of what I write , thanks for reading.