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		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Numerator:
Net income	$ 503	$ 215	$ 1,299	$ 914
Denominator:
Basic: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	153.0	164.0	155.2	168.3
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)	2.4	1.8	2.4	1.8
Diluted: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	155.4	165.8	157.6	170.1
Basic:
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 3.29	$ 1.31	$ 8.37	$ 5.43
Diluted:
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 3.24	$ 1.30	$ 8.24	$ 5.37
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)			0.0	2.9