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								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Numerator:
Net income									$ 1,480	$ 1,314	$ 1,687
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests									0	0	125
Net income attributable to Ameriprise Financial									$ 1,480	$ 1,314	$ 1,562
Denominator:
Basic: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	151.0	153.0	155.1	157.5	160.4	164.0	168.3	172.6	154.1	166.3	181.7
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)									2.6	1.9	2.5
Diluted: Weighted-average common shares outstanding	153.8	155.4	157.5	160.1	162.4	165.8	170.1	174.4	156.7	168.2	184.2
Earnings Per Share, Basic:
Net income (in dollars per basic share)	$ 1.20	$ 3.29	$ 2.53	$ 2.56	$ 2.49	$ 1.31	$ 1.99	$ 2.11	$ 9.60	$ 7.90	$ 8.60
Earnings Per Share, Diluted:
Net income (in dollars per diluted share)	$ 1.18	$ 3.24	$ 2.50	$ 2.52	$ 2.46	$ 1.30	$ 1.97	$ 2.09	$ 9.44	$ 7.81	$ 8.48
Antidilutive options excluded from computation of earnings per share									0.0	1.5	1.7