Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Liabilities:
Cumulative decrease to the embedded derivative liability	$ 506,000,000	$ 197,000,000
Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	34,505,000,000	32,619,000,000
Separate account assets	66,780,000,000	68,330,000,000
Recurring | Level 1 | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Cash equivalents	20,000,000	42,000,000
Total Available-for-Sale securities	24,000,000	66,000,000
Total trading securities	1,000,000
Total other assets	274,000,000	33,000,000
Total assets at fair value	319,000,000	141,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	300,000,000	19,000,000
Total liabilities at fair value	300,000,000	19,000,000
Recurring | Level 1 | U.S. government and agencies obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	22,000,000	64,000,000
Recurring | Level 1 | Common Stocks | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	2,000,000	2,000,000
Recurring | Level 1 | Equity derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	274,000,000	32,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	297,000,000	18,000,000
Recurring | Level 1 | Foreign exchange contract | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets		1,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	3,000,000	1,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Cash equivalents	2,287,000,000	2,481,000,000
Total Available-for-Sale securities	32,667,000,000	26,449,000,000
Total trading securities	30,000,000	43,000,000
Separate account assets	66,780,000,000	68,330,000,000
Total other assets	3,045,000,000	864,000,000
Assets held for sale		15,000,000
Total assets at fair value	105,102,000,000	98,480,000,000
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	5,000,000	3,000,000
Customer deposits	6,000,000	14,000,000
Total other liabilities	1,985,000,000	1,104,000,000
Total liabilities at fair value	1,996,000,000	1,121,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Corporate debt securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	16,685,000,000	15,281,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Residential mortgage backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	7,198,000,000	3,011,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Commercial mortgage backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	4,669,000,000	4,817,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Asset backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	1,779,000,000	1,544,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | State and municipal obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	2,130,000,000	1,582,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | U.S. government and agencies obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	49,000,000	79,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Foreign government bonds and obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	144,000,000	108,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Common Stocks | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	2,000,000	3,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Other debt obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	11,000,000	24,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Investments segregated for regulatory purposes | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total assets at fair value	293,000,000	298,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Interest rate derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	1,958,000,000	438,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	1,209,000,000	379,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Equity derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	1,077,000,000	420,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	764,000,000	722,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Credit derivative contract | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	1,000,000	4,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities		1,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Foreign exchange contract | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	7,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	10,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Commodity derivative contracts | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	2,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Other assets | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets		2,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Equity indexed annuity embedded derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	2,000,000	3,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | IUL embedded derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	3,000,000
Recurring | Level 2 | Other liabilities | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	2,000,000	2,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	1,814,000,000	6,104,000,000
Total assets at fair value	1,814,000,000	6,104,000,000
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	1,585,000,000	421,000,000
Total liabilities at fair value	1,585,000,000	421,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | Corporate debt securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	1,355,000,000	1,325,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | Residential mortgage backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	198,000,000	4,247,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | Commercial mortgage backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	50,000,000	51,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | Asset backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	206,000,000	476,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | Common Stocks | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	5,000,000	5,000,000
Recurring | Level 3 | GMWB and GMAB embedded derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	1,585,000,000	421,000,000
Recurring | Total | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Cash equivalents	2,307,000,000	2,523,000,000
Total Available-for-Sale securities	34,505,000,000	32,619,000,000
Total trading securities	31,000,000	43,000,000
Separate account assets	66,780,000,000	68,330,000,000
Total other assets	3,319,000,000	897,000,000
Assets held for sale		15,000,000
Total assets at fair value	107,235,000,000	104,725,000,000
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	1,590,000,000	424,000,000
Customer deposits	6,000,000	14,000,000
Total other liabilities	2,285,000,000	1,123,000,000
Total liabilities at fair value	3,881,000,000	1,561,000,000
Recurring | Total | Corporate debt securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	18,040,000,000	16,606,000,000
Recurring | Total | Residential mortgage backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	7,396,000,000	7,258,000,000
Recurring | Total | Commercial mortgage backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	4,719,000,000	4,868,000,000
Recurring | Total | Asset backed securities | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	1,985,000,000	2,020,000,000
Recurring | Total | State and municipal obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	2,130,000,000	1,582,000,000
Recurring | Total | U.S. government and agencies obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	71,000,000	143,000,000
Recurring | Total | Foreign government bonds and obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	144,000,000	108,000,000
Recurring | Total | Common Stocks | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	9,000,000	10,000,000
Recurring | Total | Other debt obligations | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total Available-for-Sale securities	11,000,000	24,000,000
Recurring | Total | Investments segregated for regulatory purposes | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total assets at fair value	293,000,000	298,000,000
Recurring | Total | Interest rate derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	1,958,000,000	438,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	1,209,000,000	379,000,000
Recurring | Total | Equity derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	1,351,000,000	452,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	1,061,000,000	740,000,000
Recurring | Total | Credit derivative contract | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	1,000,000	4,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities		1,000,000
Recurring | Total | Foreign exchange contract | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	7,000,000	1,000,000
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	13,000,000	1,000,000
Recurring | Total | Commodity derivative contracts | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets	2,000,000
Recurring | Total | Other assets | Ameriprise Financial
Assets
Total other assets		2,000,000
Recurring | Total | Equity indexed annuity embedded derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	2,000,000	3,000,000
Recurring | Total | IUL embedded derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	3,000,000
Recurring | Total | GMWB and GMAB embedded derivatives | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total future policy benefits and claims	1,585,000,000	421,000,000
Recurring | Total | Other liabilities | Ameriprise Financial
Liabilities:
Total other liabilities	$ 2,000,000	$ 2,000,000