American Spirit 10-Year review

Yes, for a specific kind of buyer. This is a good MYGA for someone who wants a fully guaranteed rate for ten years, values the immediate free-withdrawal provision, and isn't put off by a B++ carrier rating. It's a harder sell for someone who wants the strongest possible claims-paying backing — carriers rated A or A+ are available at similar or only slightly lower rates — or for anyone who isn't confident they can leave the money alone for a full decade.

The main draw is the rate. At 5.80% guaranteed for ten years, American Spirit sits near the top of the current 10-year MYGA market, and locking that in for a full decade removes reinvestment risk entirely. Someone rolling over a maturing CD ladder or repositioning a bond allocation who wants a genuinely set-it-and-forget-it guaranteed return has a straightforward case here. The immediate 10% free withdrawal — available from year one, and inclusive of RMDs — is also a meaningful reason to prefer this over MYGAs that restrict free withdrawals in the first contract year.

I think this product is best for a conservative saver in or near retirement who has already decided they want ten years of guaranteed, non-market-linked growth and is comfortable trading a slightly lower carrier rating for a stronger rate than the A-rated competition typically offers. The wide 0-90 issue-age range means it can also work for legacy or inherited-account planning. It's a poor fit for anyone who might need more than 10% of the account value in a given year, anyone uneasy holding a B++ carrier for a full decade, or anyone in one of the six states where it isn't currently approved.

You're buying American Century Life's promise to credit a fixed rate on your premium every year for ten years, with your principal shielded from market performance. There's no index participation, no cap, no spread — the rate quoted is the rate credited. In exchange for that certainty, you accept a 10-year surrender schedule with a market value adjustment (MVA) on anything you withdraw above the free amount, meaning the penalty for early access can move with interest rates, not just with the stated surrender percentage. There's no premium bonus baked into the account value; instead, the company gives you a small rate increase if you're willing to give up some of the free-withdrawal flexibility.

The core feature is a single fixed account rate, currently 5.80%, guaranteed for the full ten-year surrender period. That rate is locked at issue — it isn't a first-year teaser that resets lower afterward, and it isn't blended with any index-linked component. This rate reflects a Wink profile snapshot dated 2026-06-11; confirm the rate in effect on your actual application date, since MYGA rates move with the broader interest-rate environment.

The second thing worth understanding is that American Spirit isn't sold as one flat product — it's offered under four rider elections: Base, Interest Only, 10% Withdrawal, and Both Riders. In the Base election, you keep the full 10% annual free withdrawal (interest, principal, and RMDs, all available immediately with no fee) and earn the standard 5.80% rate. The Interest Only and 10% Withdrawal elections each give up a portion of that free-withdrawal flexibility in exchange for a modestly higher credited rate, and electing Both Riders stacks the two for the maximum increase — up to 0.15% combined over the Base rate, per the current rate sheet. The brochure materials don't fully spell out the exact free-withdrawal terms attached to each individual election beyond Base, so if you're quoted anything other than Base, ask your agent to put the specific liquidity terms for that election in writing before you sign.

This is a ten-year commitment, and the surrender schedule reflects that: charges start at 9% in year one and step down by roughly a point each year, ending at a lingering 0.5% in year ten rather than dropping to zero — an unusual tail charge that means even the final contract year isn't fully free of penalty. An MVA (market value adjustment) applies on top of that schedule for any withdrawal above the free amount, which means your actual penalty can be higher or lower than the stated surrender percentage depending on where interest rates have moved since issue. The Base election's 10% immediate annual free withdrawal — including interest and RMDs, with no waiting period — is a real offset to the length of this schedule, and it's more generous than many 10-year MYGAs that impose a first-year lockout.

There's no explicit base contract fee and no rider fee on American Spirit — the cost of this product isn't charged, it's structural. Electing either of the withdrawal-waiver riders means giving up some of the standard 10% free-withdrawal access in exchange for a rate increase of up to 0.15% combined; that's a real trade of liquidity for yield, not a free upgrade, and it's worth running the math on whether the extra 0.15% is worth less annual access to your own money. The Minimum Guaranteed Surrender Value (MGSV) — 87.5% of premium at 0.15%-3% — is the standard MYGA floor and applies regardless of which election you choose.

Legal Entity: American Century Life Insurance Company

A.M. Best Rating: B++