Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities (Details 4) (Ameriprise Financial, USD $) In Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Available-for-Sale Securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation
Net Investment Income	$ 56	$ 21	$ 77	$ 43
Residential mortgage backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation
Net Investment Income	52	19	69	33
Asset backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation
Net Investment Income	4	2	8	10
GMWB and GMAB embedded derivatives
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation
Benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses	$ (1,241)	$ (49)	$ (1,074)	$ (769)