Crowbot, my IRA with Fidelity is down almost 25%  

I totally understand that it only has "real value" when I withdraw it. 

My point is I watch it grow over the years and make changes in which funds it's in to maximize growth. But over the past 12 months I couldn't do that because everything was tanking.

That's REAL LOSS. I don't have 14 years to make up the $80,000.00 loss over the past year like I did back in 2008.

That's the issue you don't seem to understand. Some people were planning to use their IRA's now to help maintain their lifestyle after they retired. Maybe some wanted to pay off the mortgage, or a vehicle, or buy a RV to travel and see America now that they have the time. But they can't, because they need to keep that money in the IRA and hope it returns back to the goal value they established 30 years ago when they started and actually achieved.

Except this idiot in the WH destroyed the economy and put millions of American's in financial disarray.