Earnings per Share Attributable to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Common Shareholders (Basic & Diluted) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2015
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Ameriprise Financial	$ 364	$ 393
Denominator:
Basic: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	172.6	186.3
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)	1.8	2.8
Diluted: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	174.4	189.1
Basic:
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 2.11	$ 2.11
Diluted:
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 2.09	$ 2.08
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)	4.9	1.6