Policyholder Account Balances, Future Policy Benefits and Claims and Separate Account Liabilities (Separate Account Liabilities) (Details 2) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Separate Account Liabilities
Variable annuity	$ 72,125	$ 70,687
VUL insurance	7,016	6,885
Other insurance	37	44
Threadneedle investment liabilities	4,078amp_SeparateAccountsLiabilityInvestment	3,607amp_SeparateAccountsLiabilityInvestment
Total	$ 83,256us-gaap_SeparateAccountsLiability	$ 81,223us-gaap_SeparateAccountsLiability

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The equivalent summary total of separate account assets representing contract holder funds related to investment funds managed by the entity.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

The equivalent summary total of separate account assets representing contract holder funds related to other insurance policies, not otherwise described in the taxonomy.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

The equivalent summary total of separate account assets representing contract holder funds related to variable annuity policies.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	amp_SeparateAccountsLiabilityVariableAnnuity
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- Definition

The equivalent summary total of separate account assets representing contract holder funds related to variable universal life insurance policies.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Amount of liability for variable contracts that meet specified criteria that are backed by assets held in separate accounts and carried at the fair value of those assets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 944

-SubTopic 80

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6484091&loc=d3e19268-158472

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 944

-Glossary Separate Account

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6524887

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 944

-SubTopic 80

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (b)(1)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6484115&loc=d3e19393-158473

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 03

-Paragraph 18

-Article 7

+ Details

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