Debt (Details 2) (USD $)						1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011 Ameriprise Financial	Nov. 22, 2011 Ameriprise Financial	Dec. 31, 2010 Ameriprise Financial	Dec. 31, 2011 Consolidated Investment Entities:	Nov. 30, 2005 Unsecured senior notes Ameriprise Financial	Nov. 30, 2010 Senior Notes 2010 Ameriprise Financial	Jul. 31, 2009 Senior Notes 2010 Ameriprise Financial	Jun. 30, 2009 Senior Notes 2010 Ameriprise Financial	Jun. 30, 2009 Senior notes due 2019 Ameriprise Financial	Mar. 31, 2010 Senior notes due 2020 Ameriprise Financial	Jun. 30, 2009 Senior notes due 2039 Ameriprise Financial	May 31, 2006 Junior subordinated notes due 2066 Ameriprise Financial	Dec. 31, 2011 Junior subordinated notes due 2066 Ameriprise Financial	Dec. 31, 2010 Junior subordinated notes due 2066 Ameriprise Financial	Dec. 31, 2009 Junior subordinated notes due 2066 Ameriprise Financial	Mar. 31, 2011 Municipal bond inverse floater certificates due 2021 Ameriprise Financial
Debt and stated interest rates
Unsecured senior notes issued						$ 1,500,000,000				$ 300,000,000	$ 750,000,000	$ 200,000,000	$ 500,000,000
Debt issuance costs						7,000,000				3,000,000	6,000,000	6,000,000	6,000,000
Tender offer consideration per principal amount								1,000
Principal amount of notes accepted for purchase								1,000
Early tender payment								30
Reference rate for junior notes from June 1, 2016 until maturity														three-month LIBOR plus a margin equal to 290.5 basis points
Fixed interest rate for junior notes from May 26, 2006 through May 31, 2016 (as a percent)														7.50%
Extinguished debt							340,000,000	450,000,000	10,000,000					14,000,000	14,000,000	135,000,000	6,000,000
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt															(1,000,000)	58,000,000
Portfolio of municipal bonds																	10,000,000
Unsecured revolving credit facility, current borrowing capacity			500,000,000
Unsecured revolving credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity			750,000,000
Fair value of securities pledged as collateral under repurchase agreements		521,000,000		412,000,000
Outstanding letters of credit issued against credit facility		2,000,000
Future maturities of debt
2015	700,000,000				88,000,000
Thereafter	1,544,000,000				4,221,000,000
Total future maturities	$ 2,244,000,000				$ 5,801,000,000