AssetShield 7 FIA Review — American Equity

Model this product

See what American Equity AssetShield 7 would do for you

Set your numbers and switch between growth strategies and liquidity scenarios. Negative index performance does not produce a negative index credit. Fees, withdrawals and surrender charges can reduce contract value.

Product analyzer

Illustrative — live CANNEX rates as of October 2, 2026; not a projection or guarantee.

Premium$100,000

Your age60

Crediting strategy

Compare against

$314,889

Est. value at age 80 (American Equity AssetShield 7)

9%

Best S&P 500 1-yr point-to-point cap

S&P 500 Index — 11.5% Cap (Performance Rate Rider · Annual)

✦

How crediting works: the cap limits positive index returns; a down year credits 0%, never a loss. A cap strategy tracks the index within its terms. What is a cap vs participation? →

Assumptions: illustrative — applies American Equity AssetShield 7's published cap rate (11.5% on S&P 500 Index) to a standard benchmark hypothetical index path (~5.4%/yr average, including down years) with a 0% floor over 20 years. Not a projection, quote, or guarantee. Live CANNEX rates as of October 2, 2026.

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See how American Equity AssetShield 7 compares for your age, state, premium, and income goals alongside other American Equity fixed indexed annuity options.

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rate data

Run numbers for American Equity AssetShield 7

rates, riders, crediting strategies, state availability, and contract facts stay scoped to this American Equity product.

Live product data

Rates as of October 2, 2026, from AdvisorWorld and CANNEX.

S&P 500 annual cap rate

9% cap on S&P 500

A seven-year-surrender fixed indexed annuity from an A-rated carrier in American Equity's accumulation-focused AssetShield family — no income rider, a broad crediting menu spanning S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Dow Jones, and several proprietary volatility-controlled indexes, with an optional fee-bearing Performance Rate Rider that lifts caps and participation rates.

1-year term7-year surrenderDoes not vary by premiumAdvisorWorld + CANNEX data

Best fit

Buyers who want index-linked accumulation with a mid-length seven-year commitment, value a wide menu of cap, participation, and trigger strategies across both recognizable benchmarks and proprietary low-vol indexes, and are comfortable choosing whether to pay an explicit Performance Rate Rider fee in exchange for higher caps and participation rates.

AM Best

A Excellent

Surrender period

7 years

Free withdrawal

10%/yr

Availability

50 jurisdictions (excl. New York)

Featured crediting strategies

Caps, participation rates, and declared rates are shown separately.

Index / strategyRate mechanicsCreditingSurrenderPremium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

9% cap rate

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Performance Rate Rider

11.5% cap rate

Annual point-to-point

PRR fee not shown

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Monthly Point to Point

1.95% cap rate

Monthly sum

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Monthly Point to Point with Performance Rate Rider

2.95% cap rate

Monthly sum

PRR fee not shown

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

5.5% trigger rate

Performance trigger

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

40% participation rate

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Performance Rate Rider

55% participation rate

Annual point-to-point

PRR fee not shown

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Performance Rate Rider

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Annual point-to-point

PRR fee not shown

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Monthly Point to Point

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Monthly sum

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Monthly Point to Point with Performance Rate Rider

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Monthly sum

PRR fee not shown

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

S&P 500

S&P 500 Index

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Performance trigger

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Nasdaq-100

Nasdaq-100 Index

7.75% cap rate

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Nasdaq-100

Nasdaq-100 Index

6.7% trigger rate

Performance trigger

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Nasdaq-100

Nasdaq-100 Index

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Nasdaq-100

Nasdaq-100 Index

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Performance trigger

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Industrial Average

7.5% cap rate

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Industrial Average

6.45% trigger rate

Performance trigger

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Industrial Average

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Annual point-to-point

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Industrial Average

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Performance trigger

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Fixed Account

4.4% declared rate

Fixed account

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

Fixed Account

Rate not shown

Rate effective Aug 19, 2026

Fixed account

Requested state: TX

1-year term · 7-year surrender · Does not vary by premium

1-year term

7-year surrender

Does not vary by premium

+ 31 additional crediting options (S&P 500, BNP Paribas, NYSE Premier...)

Product analyst notes

How to think about this contract

Why it can stand out

Surrender term is seven years — a mid-length commitment relative to the ten-year filings that dominate the American Equity AssetShield series and the broader retail FIA shelf, so buyers who want index exposure without locking in a full decade have a same-carrier path.
Crediting menu is unusually wide: a recognizable S&P 500 annual point-to-point cap sits alongside cap, participation, and performance-trigger strategies on Nasdaq-100, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and a roster of proprietary volatility-controlled indexes (BNP Paribas Patriot Technology, NYSE Premier, Nasdaq Premier, BlackRock Adaptive US Equity, S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats DRC 5%, S&P 500 Advantage VT TCA) — buyers can choose between like-for-like comparability and higher-participation alternatives.
An optional Performance Rate Rider is available that lifts caps and participation rates on every strategy in exchange for an explicit strategy fee, giving buyers a clear, contract-priced lever to dial up upside without renegotiating the chassis.
Free-withdrawal allowance and the full year-by-year surrender ladder are visible on this page, so the schedule of penalty-free liquidity is not gated behind a sales brochure.

What to confirm

This contract is not a guaranteed-lifetime-withdrawal product. There is no GLWB income rider in the live feed, and AssetShield is American Equity's accumulation family — buyers who need a contractually guaranteed lifetime payout should be looking at the carrier's IncomeShield series instead, not this contract.
The Performance Rate Rider that boosts caps and participation rates is a fee-bearing election — the enhanced numbers it produces are not free upside, and they are not directly comparable to base caps on other carriers' FIAs. Read the rider fee on its own terms before treating the higher rates as the headline.
Several of the index options are proprietary, volatility-controlled indexes designed to look attractive under high participation rates. Those participation rates are not directly comparable to an S&P 500 cap — evaluate each strategy on its own merits rather than comparing rate-to-rate across index types.
Guaranteed-minimum floors on caps, declared rates, and the fixed account are very low — caps and rates can reset down toward those floors over the seven-year surrender term, and the buyer carries that renewal risk for the full term.

Not ideal for

Buyers who need a contractually guaranteed lifetime withdrawal rate from a GLWB rider, want a built-in Protected Income Value income mechanism, or expect a premium bonus and a death-benefit roll-up — none of those are what this contract delivers, and the AssetShield family is structured for accumulation rather than income.

All crediting strategies

View rate listings (48 strategies)

These listings show published strategy details and any available rates. Use the filters to narrow by index, term, premium band, or rate type.

Par: 185% · 1-yr

S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Daily Risk Control 5% Index (USD) Excess Return

Performance Rate Rider · Point-to-point