But, I have some stock in a power company ticker BKH. My BKH is currently worth about 12% less than what I paid for it. Is it really a loss?
Yes, it really is a loss. However, as someone reminded me a while ago, in some circumstances EVERYONE loses.
Sometimes the goal needs to be to lose LESS than other people, or to lose less than what you otherwise would have lost. That is what I am personally aiming for. I mostly hope I can keep that in mind during hard times known as a Depression.
And, if you have a dividend, the discounted present value of those future dividend payments can offset some of the losses.