Office address: 901 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Website: ameriprise.com
Year established: 1894
Company type: financial services
Employees: 21,000+
Expertise: financial planning, investment management, retirement solutions, insurance, asset management, mutual funds, alternative investments, college savings, advisory services, structured products
Parent company: N/A
Key people: James Cracchiolo (CEO); Walter Berman (CFO); Gumer Alvero (president); William Davies (global chief investment officer); Deirdre McGraw, Heather Melloh, and Kelli Petruzillo (EVPs)
Financing status: corporation
Ameriprise Financial is a Minneapolis-based financial services company, serving more than 3.5 million clients and managing over $1.4 trillion in assets as of 2024. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, insurance, and retirement solutions. Ameriprise is known for its one-to-one advisor relationships and the Confident Retirement approach.
Ameriprise Financial began in 1894, when John Tappan, just 24 years old, founded Investors Syndicate. By the end of that first year, the company managed $2,500 in assets.
Over the next decades, Ameriprise grew through the Great Depression and paid every dollar owed to certificate owners, even as markets crashed and times were tough.
The company moved into mutual funds in 1940, starting with Investors Mutual Fund and adding more by 1945. In 1949, it adopted the name Investors Diversified Services, then joined American Express in 1984. By 1995, it operated as American Express Financial Advisors, with James Cracchiolo taking over as president and CEO in 2000.
The firm became an independent, publicly traded company in 2005 after one of the largest spin-offs in US history. It launched new brands, expanded its reach, and continued to acquire businesses, including H&R Block Financial Advisors during the Great Recession.
The company also introduced the Confident Retirement approach in 2014, which shaped its personalized advice model.
The company celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2024 as it marked more than a century of putting clients first. The company now manages over $1.4 trillion in assets and serves millions of clients.
In 2025, Ameriprise Financial welcomed The Atlantic Group from Oppenheimer. This team manages more than $1.6 billion in client assets, further strengthening the advisor network.
Ameriprise Financial provides personalized investment options to match different goals and risk levels:
Ameriprise Financial also provides digital tools for easy account access and goal tracking. Clients benefit from ongoing, personalized advice and a strong advisor relationship.
Ameriprise Financial says that it has a values-based and inclusive culture that supports individual differences and encourages achievement. The company also reports that it values work-life balance and career growth for its employees. Their stated values include:
Ameriprise Financial states employees receive competitive pay, incentives, and access to many workplace resources. Benefits include:
In terms of community impact, the firm donated $18 million in 2024 through grants, matching, and individual gifts. The company supported 7,800 nonprofits and recorded 50,000 volunteer hours that year as well. Since 2009, Ameriprise Financial has partnered with Feeding America to provide 124 million meals and nearly 408,000 volunteer hours.
James M. Cracchiolo is chairperson and CEO of Ameriprise Financial, leading a firm with a 130-year legacy. Cracchiolo has guided Ameriprise and its earlier company since 2000, building on over 45 years in financial services. He earned both his bachelor’s and MBA degrees from New York University.
The executive team at Ameriprise Financial includes leaders with deep experience and unique responsibilities:
The Ameriprise Financial leadership team works to build a client-focused culture and support a workforce of over 21,000 people. Their goal is to keep employees engaged and deliver strong results for clients.
In 2025, the firm began actively recruiting leading advisors from major firms, including Commonwealth. This strategy aims to expand Ameriprise Financial’s advisor network and strengthen its future offerings for clients.
Ameriprise also set a new record in its wealth division, reaching over $1 trillion in client assets during the third quarter of 2025. It grew advisor productivity to $1.1 million per advisor and welcomed 90 experienced advisors, which showed steady expansion. These results help the firm boost its financial position and support its growth.
It's been a busy few days for Ameriprise Financial. Earlier this week, the firm, along with subsidiary Securities America, lined up an agreement with lawyers representing investors who got burned in Reg D offerings. And today, it appears the company is on the verge of acquiring Grail -- and moving into the actively-managed ETF space.
The independent broker-dealer industry came roaring back in 2010, with the 25 biggest firms collectively reporting a 16.9% increase in total revenue, compared with the year before
Ameriprise Financial Inc., two of its Securities America units and a group of investors who sued them asked a U.S. judge to approve a proposed $80 million cash settlement.
Ameriprise Financial Inc., two of its Securities America units and a group of investors who sued them asked a U.S. judge to approve a proposed $80 million cash settlement
Purchase of ETF firm vaults Ameriprise unit into 'big player' in actively managed fund space.
Ameriprise Financial Inc. is willing to spend nearly $200 million to bail out its beleaguered independent-broker-dealer subsidiary, Securities America Inc., because the spectacle of its collapse would be a huge embarrassment for the financial planning giant and draw the ire of regulators, according to securities industry experts
Securities America Inc. could go out of business if a federal judge does not approve a $21 million class action settlement related to private-placement litigation against the company
Amount equals about 10% of total client losses on Reg D notes later deemed fraudulent by the SEC
On Friday, Securities America's CFO said the brokerage could face bankruptcy if a judge rejected a proposed settlement over soured private placements. The judge rejected the settlement. Now, Securities America's parent may step in to try to bail out the besieged B-D.
A judge shoots down a possible class-action settlement between Securities America and private placement investors, leaving the brokerage's future in doubt
Purchase of Zirkin-Cutler biggest acquisition to date for roll-up firm
NASAA says ruling will have chilling effect on securities enforcement
An expert witness claims that Ameriprise can kick in $110M to help settle Reg D lawsuits against its Securities America unit. A meeting with a mediator on Thursday may reveal exactly how far the parent company is willing to go to bail out the besieged B-D.
