Mike,

Your question is not silly, but I wonder whether your stress would be relieved even if you weren't able to see your CREF Stock balances.  It is really very difficult to ignore what is happening in the financial markets, as it is broadcast on virtually every major news station and news program on a daily basis, and is plastered all over the internet. 

If the financial averages are in a bear market, you're certainly going to hear about it often, and even if you don't know your exact CREF Stock balances, you can surmise that they are probably lower than the last time you checked.  The DJIA just made a 21 month low yesterday, but some financial averages reached six year lows during the 2000 - 2002 time period.

As an investor, peace of mind is extremely important to me.  After CREF made the Money Market Fund available, I used it to transfer in and out of equity funds.   I used the 200 day moving average of the equity fund as a very simple guide.  Sell when the fund price falls below its moving average, and buy back when it rises above it.  The timing was not always precise, and occasionally I got whipsawed, but it did keep me out of equities whenever the environment got really bleak.

Jared