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, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Numerator:
Net income	$ 403	$ 364
Denominator:
Basic: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	157.5	172.6
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)	2.6	1.8
Diluted: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	160.1	174.4
Basic:
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 2.56	$ 2.11
Diluted:
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 2.52	$ 2.09
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)	2.5	4.9