Charitable · Personal · Professional
2000: Skip establishes the Skip Viragh Endowed Athletic Scholarship Fund to be given annually to a Spring Hill College (his alma mater) recipient.
2000: Skip and his four siblings form the Viragh Family Foundation, a private foundation to benefit individuals through donations to medical research programs and other charitable organizations designed to help individuals attain educational goals, end hunger, homelessness and domestic violence.
2001: Skip is elected to the Spring Hill board of trustees where his leadership proves invaluable in steering the college toward plans for a renewed and revitalized campus.
2001: Skip's generosity continues with the gift of lighting for the Stan Galle Athletic Field at Spring Hill.
2002: Skip pays for capital improvements at Spring Hill College and is honored by having his name on the new campus residence hall, Viragh Hall.
April, 2003: Skip attends the dedication of Viragh Hall.
2003: Skip contributes once again to Spring Hill College to build a second residence hall, which will be part of the Viragh Complex—Construction will begin in May 2005 and will be completed in August 2006.
July 26, 2004: The inaugural Skip Viragh Memorial Golf Classic raises more than $150,000 for Johns Hopkins pancreatic research—the largest amount generated by an event in Johns Hopkins history.
September, 2004: To honor Skip for his contributions, the college names its new campus green The Rydex Commons in honor of Skip’s investment company.
October 6, 2004: The inaugural Skip Viragh Award for Innovation, Responsiveness and Integrity is presented to Steve Bloom for excellence in the financial advisory field. Monies raised through this award sponsor a wish for a child through the Make-A-Wish® Foundation.
July 1, 1941: Albert P. “Skip” Viragh was born to Albert Sr. and Alvina. This "Al" was dubbed "Skip" by the age of two. Skip was the oldest of five children.
1959: Graduated from Chaminade High School
1964: Skip graduates from Spring Hill College.
1966: Skip's daughter Paula was born—she put the "P" in PADCO—the name Skip chose for his money management firm behind Rydex Investments.
1968: Skip's daughter Debbie was born—she put the "D" in PADCO—the name Skip chose for his money management firm behind Rydex Investments.
1972: Skip's daughter Amanda was born—she put the "A" in PADCO—the name Skip chose for his money management firm behind Rydex Investments.
September 7, 2002: Skip scores a hole-in-one at Montgomery Country Club, Olney Maryland.
September, 2002: Skip is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
2003: Mobile Alabama City Council declares December 3, 2003 “Skip Viragh Day.”
December 11, 2003: Skip succumbs to pancreatic cancer.
1982: Skip aspires to run his own business and purchases a Texas housewares distribution company.
1985: Skip declares bankruptcy for his housewares distribution company in the wake of the energy crash in Texas.
1985-86: Skip joins Rushmore Funds and is the mastermind behind several unique products for advisors
1992: Rushmore decides it no longer wants to service active investors, Skip's main clients.
July, 1993: Skip borrows money from his family and starts Rydex with the first leveraged index fund—Nova.
1994: Skip creates the first inverse equity fund—Ursa.
1994: Greenspan begins a tightening phase and raises rates, the market drops and Ursa (the only inverse equity fund in existence) performs as expected, putting Rydex on the map.
1994: Rydex is featured in a Barron’s article, which helps propel the firm to $100 million in assets—the assets needed to survive.
March, 1995: Skip creates the first inverse fixed-income funds—Juno.
May, 1997: Further expanding its distribution, Rydex offers products within variable annuities.
May, 2000: Rydex and Skip are profiled in the Mutual Fund section of the Wall Street Journal.
May, 2000: Skip is the brains behind another industry first: Rydex Dynamic Funds—funds that trade twice daily and are available to individual investors.
November, 2000: Rydex growth necessitates a move to bigger space. The firm relocates to Blackwell Road.
January, 2001: Skip seeks to serve the broker/dealer market. C-shares are launched for all funds.
2001: Investment News names Viragh one of the industry’s “power elite,” due to his record of innovation.
April, 2003: Skip rings opening bell on AMEX stock exchange for launch of Rydex’s first ETF.
July, 2003: Skip pushes for Rydex to enter the alternative investment space with the launch of Rydex SPhinX Fund—a registered hedge fund of funds.
July, 2003: Rydex celebrates its 10th birthday.
December 11, 2003: Skip left us behind to finish what he started.
December, 2003: Rydex achieves a firm milestone, reaching $10 billion in assets—Skip’s longtime aspiration.
