Deferred Acquisition Costs and Deferred Sales Inducement Costs (Details) (USD $)			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012 Ameriprise Financial	Sep. 30, 2011 Ameriprise Financial	Jan. 02, 2012 Ameriprise Financial	Jan. 02, 2011 Ameriprise Financial
Cumulative effect of accounting change					$ 2,000,000,000	$ 2,100,000,000
Cumulative effect of accounting change of capitalization				115,000,000
Cumulative effect of accounting change of amortization				206,000,000
Balances of and changes in DAC
Balance, at the beginning of the period	2,397,000,000	2,440,000,000	2,440,000,000	2,556,000,000
Capitalization of acquisition costs			229,000,000	252,000,000
Amortization, excluding the impact of valuation assumptions review			(186,000,000)	(335,000,000)
Amortization impact of valuation assumptions review			(11,000,000)	(31,000,000)
Impact of change in net unrealized securities gains			(75,000,000)	(52,000,000)
Balance, at the end of the period	2,397,000,000	2,440,000,000	2,397,000,000	2,390,000,000
Balances of and changes in DSIC, included in other assets
Balance, at the beginning of the period			464,000,000	545,000,000
Capitalization of sales inducement costs			6,000,000	7,000,000
Amortization, excluding the impact of valuation assumptions review			(30,000,000)	(69,000,000)
Amortization impact of valuation assumptions review			(13,000,000)	(11,000,000)
Impact of change in net unrealized securities gains			(11,000,000)	(9,000,000)
Balance, at the end of the period			$ 416,000,000	$ 463,000,000