Ameriprise 2008 Annual Report Download - page 20

18 Ameriprise Financial 2008 Annual Report
This report is not a solicitation for any of the
products or services mentioned. Investment
products, including shares of mutual funds,
are not FDIC or otherwise federally insured,
are not deposits or obligations, or guaran-
teed by any financial institution, and involve
investment risks, including possible loss of
principal and fluctuation in value.
Ameriprise helped pioneer the financial
planning process more than 30 years
ago. Our unique Dream > Plan > Tr a c k >®
approach is about more than numbers,
it’s both science and art. We have more
financial planning clients and more CE R T I F I E D
FI N A N C I A L PL A N N E R ™ professionals than any
other company in the U.S. based on data
filed at adviserinfo.sec.gov and documented
by the CFP Board of Standards Inc., as of
Dec. 31, 2008.
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. offers
financial advisory services, investments,
insurance and annuity products. RiverSource
products are offered by affiliates of
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member
FINRA and SIPC. RiverSource mutual funds
are distributed by RiverSource Distributors,
Inc. Member FINRA, and managed by
RiverSource Investments, LLC. These com-
panies are part of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Ameriprise Bank, FSB, Member FDIC, pro-
vides certain deposit and lending products
and services for Ameriprise Financial
Services, Inc. RiverSource insurance and
annuity products are issued by RiverSource
Life Insurance Company and in New York, by
RiverSource Life Insurance Co. of New York,
Albany, NY, and distributed by RiverSource
Distributors, Inc.
Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance issues
auto, home and umbrella insurance under-
written by IDS Property Casualty Insurance
Company (IDS Property Casualty) or,
in some states, Ameriprise Insurance
Company (AIC), DePere, WI.
H&R Block Financial Advisors, Inc. has
become Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc.,
an Ameriprise Financial company, and is no
longer affiliated with H&R Block, Inc. or any
of its affiliates. Investments and financial
advisory services are offered through
Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc. Member
NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. Ameriprise Financial is
the umbrella marketing name used by two
separate and distinct registered broker-
dealers of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.:
Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc. and
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
The Threadneedle group of companies
constitutes the Ameriprise Financial
international investment platform. The
group consists of wholly owned subsidiaries
of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and provides
services independent from Ameriprise
Financial Services, Inc., including Ameriprise
Financial Services broker-dealer business.
Each client represented invests with
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. and
is discussing his/her experience as a
brokerage customer. The experience
highlighted is not an advertisement for
investment advisory services, may not
be representative of the experience of
other clients and is not a guarantee of
future performance or success. Clients
of Ameriprise Financial may work with
different advisors over time.
The Financial Planning Association (FPA)
and Ameriprise Value of Financial Planning
study was conducted by Harris Interactive
in June/July, 2008 among 3,022 adults.
While market volatility was significant during
the study period, subsequent financial
developments, which may have affected
attitudes and behaviors, had not yet
occurred.
Since becoming an independent public
company in 2005, we have strived to deliver
effective shareholder communications while
continuing to reduce the related expense
and environmental impact. Starting with the
2008 proxy season, Ameriprise Financial
was one of the first large companies to
implement the Notice & Access program
for the distribution of proxy materials, which
significantly reduced the total number of
annual reports and proxy statements we
print. We have continued to reduce this
annual expense: We estimate that the cost
of our 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders
will be approximately 40 percent less than
the prior year and approximately 50 percent
of the cost from two years ago.