Earnings per Share Attributable to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Common Shareholders (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010
Numerator:
Income from continuing operations.	$ 285	$ 396	$ 579	$ 690
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	(28)	139	(46)	221
Net income attributable to Ameriprise Financial from continuing operations	313	257	625	469
Net income attributable to Ameriprise Financial from discontinued operations	(4)	2	(75)	4
Net income attributable to Ameriprise Financial	$ 309	$ 259	$ 550	$ 473
Denominator:
Basic: Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in shares)	245.5	261.1	248.5	260.9
Effect of potentially dilutive nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards (in shares)	5.5	4.2	5.8	4.2
Diluted: Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in shares)	251.0	265.3	254.3	265.1
Basic
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 1.28	$ 0.98	$ 2.51	$ 1.80
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	$ (0.02)	$ 0.01	$ (0.30)	$ 0.01
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 1.26	$ 0.99	$ 2.21	$ 1.81
Diluted
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$ 1.25	$ 0.97	$ 2.46	$ 1.77
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	$ (0.02)	$ 0.01	$ (0.30)	$ 0.01
Net income (in dollars per share)	$ 1.23	$ 0.98	$ 2.16	$ 1.78

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The amount of net income or loss for the period per each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period.

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The amount of net income or loss for the period per each share of common stock and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding during the reporting period.

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This element represents the income or loss from continuing operations attributable to the reporting entity which may also be defined as revenue less expenses and taxes from ongoing operations before extraordinary items and cumulative effects of changes in accounting principles, but after deduction of those portions of income or loss from continuing operations that are allocable to noncontrolling interests, if any.

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This element represents the income or loss from continuing operations attributable to the economic entity which may also be defined as revenue less expenses and taxes from ongoing operations before extraordinary items, cumulative effects of changes in accounting principles, and noncontrolling interest.

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The amount of income (loss) from continuing operations per each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period.

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The amount of income (loss) from continuing operations available to each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period and each share that would have been outstanding assuming the issuance of common shares for all dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the reporting period.

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This element represents the overall income (loss) from a disposal group that is classified as a component of the entity, net of income tax, reported as a separate component of income before extraordinary items and the cumulative effect of accounting changes before deduction or consideration of the amount which may be allocable to noncontrolling interests, if any. Includes the following (net of tax): income (loss) from operations during the phase-out period, gain (loss) on disposal, provision (or any reversals of earlier provisions) for loss on disposal, and adjustments of a prior period gain (loss) on disposal.

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The amount of income (loss) from disposition of discontinued operations, net of related tax effect, per each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period.

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The amount of income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of related tax effect, per each diluted share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period.

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Aggregate awards of share options and nonvested shares to be issued to an employee under a share-based compensation arrangement are considered options for purposes of computing diluted earnings per share. Such share-based awards shall be considered to be outstanding as of the grant date for purposes of computing diluted earnings per share even though their exercise may be contingent upon vesting. Those share-based awards are included in the diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) computation even if the employee may not receive (or be able to sell) the stock until some future date. Accordingly, all shares to be issued shall be included in computing diluted EPS if the effect is dilutive. The dilutive effect of share-based compensation arrangements shall be computed using the treasury stock method. If the equity share options or other equity instruments are outstanding for only part of a period, the shares issuable shall be weighted to reflect the portion of the period during which the equity instruments were outstanding.

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The portion of consolidated profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent. If the entity does not present consolidated financial statements, the amount of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes.

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