But don't blame equities for giving people a roller-coaster ride, it's not like equities haven't dived before.

BBC: Your Comments: How Safe Is My Money?

"I've climbed rocks and gone swimming with sharks, but I won't go bungee jumping, and I've never liked roller coasters because those things aren't in my control, " says John F.

FORBES: Nothing Comes Between Me and My SUV

Granted, the departure isn't a shock to anyone who follows the roller coaster ride of Washington, but it's bound to rekindle chatter about who is set to take his place.

ENGADGET: WSJ: FCC chairman Julius Genachowski will say tomorrow that he's stepping down

Lately the Australian dollar has been on a roller coaster, the Japanese yen can't shoot up fast enough and the Mexican peso lost 8 percent of its value in one day.

NPR: Currency Traders Spy Opportunity In Crazy Times

Dowell Myers, a professor of urban planning and demography at the University of Southern California, said the state's growth has been a "roller coaster, " but he doesn't expect the ride to go back up in the future.

CNN: The California Dream is fizzling out

Nice, but here's the grim arithmetic of roller-coaster returns: If you lose 50%, you can't make it back by gaining 50%.

FORBES: Booby Prize