Basis of Presentation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

1.  Basis of Presentation

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. is a holding company, which primarily conducts business through its subsidiaries to provide financial planning, products and services that are designed to be utilized as solutions for clients’ cash and liquidity, asset accumulation, income, protection and estate and wealth transfer needs. The foreign operations of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. are conducted primarily through its subsidiary, Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Sàrl (“Threadneedle”).

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., companies in which it directly or indirectly has a controlling financial interest and variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in which it is the primary beneficiary (collectively, the “Company”). The income or loss generated by consolidated entities which will not be realized by the Company’s shareholders is attributed to noncontrolling interests in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Noncontrolling interests are the ownership interests in subsidiaries not attributable, directly or indirectly, to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and are classified as equity within the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company excluding noncontrolling interests is defined as “Ameriprise Financial.” All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. See Note 3 for additional information related to VIEs.

The results of Securities America Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Securities America”) have been presented as discontinued operations for all periods presented. The Company completed the sale of Securities America in the fourth quarter of 2011. See Note 14 for additional information on discontinued operations.

The interim financial information in this report has not been audited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated results of operations and financial position for the interim periods have been made. All adjustments made were of a normal recurring nature, except for the prior period adjustments for the retrospective adoption of the new accounting standard for deferred acquisition costs (“DAC”) as described below.

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Certain reclassifications of prior period amounts have been made to conform to the current presentation. Results of operations reported for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. These Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes should be read in conjunction with the consolidated Financial Statements and Notes in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on tFebruary 24, 2012.

The Company evaluated events or transactions that may have occurred after the balance sheet date for potential recognition or disclosure through the date the financial statements were issued.

On January 1, 2012, the Company retrospectively adopted the new accounting standard for DAC for insurance and annuity products. See Note 2 and Note 6 for further information on the new accounting standard and the resulting changes in the Company’s accounting policies on the deferral of acquisition costs. The following tables present the effect of the change on affected financial statement line items for prior periods retrospectively adjusted. Per share amounts for the three months ended March 31, 2011 did not change as a result of the adoption.

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2011
	Previously
	Reported			Effect of Change			As Adjusted
	(in millions)
Revenues
Total net revenues	$	2,532		$	—		$	2,532
Expenses
Distribution expenses	619			15			634
Interest credited to fixed accounts	207			1			208
Benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses	382			1			383
Amortization of deferred acquisition costs	116			(41		)	75
Interest and debt expense	75			—			75
General and administrative expense	746			25			771
Total expenses	2,145			1			2,146
Income from continuing operations before income tax provision	387			(1		)	386
Income tax provision	93			(1		)	92
Income from continuing operations	294			—			294
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	(71		)	—			(71		)
Net income	223			—			223
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(18		)	—			(18		)
Net income attributable to Ameriprise Financial	$	241		$	—		$	241

	December 31, 2011
	Previously
	Reported		Effect of Change			As Adjusted
	(in millions)
Assets
Deferred acquisition costs	$	4,402	$	(1,962	)	$	2,440
Other assets	7,468		283			7,751
Total assets	133,986		(1,679		)	132,307
Liabilities and Equity
Liabilities:
Future policy benefits and claims	31,723		(13		)	31,710
Other liabilities	5,432		(399		)	5,033
Total liabilities	123,025		(412		)	122,613
Equity:
Retained earnings	6,983		(1,380		)	5,603
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax	638		113			751
Total equity	10,961		(1,267		)	9,694
Total liabilities and equity	$	133,986	$	(1,679	)	$	132,307

	December 31, 2010
	Previously
	Reported		Effect of Change			As Adjusted
	(in millions)
Retained earnings	$	6,190	$	(1,420	)	$	4,770
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax	565		85			650
Total equity	$	11,285	$	(1,335	)	$	9,950