Ameriprise 2012 Annual Report Download - page 19

Financial markets and macroeconomic conditions have had and will continue to have a significant impact on our operating
and performance results. The persistent economic headwinds of the past several years have mitigated growth opportunities
in our industry by affecting asset values and dampening client confidence and activity. In addition, the business and
regulatory environment in which we operate remains subject to elevated uncertainty and change. To succeed, we expect to
continue focusing on our key strategic objectives. The success of these and other strategies may be affected by the factors
discussed below in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K — ‘‘Risk Factors’’, and other factors as discussed herein.
The financial results from the businesses underlying our go to market approaches are reflected in our five operating
segments:
• Advice & Wealth Management;
• Asset Management;
• Annuities;
• Protection; and
• Corporate & Other.
As a diversified financial services firm, we believe our ability to gather assets across the enterprise is best measured by our
assets under management and administration metric. At December 31, 2012, we had $681.0 billion in assets under
management and administration compared to $631.3 billion as of December 31, 2011, as follows:
As of December 31,
2012 2011
(in billions)
Managed $ 562.4 $ 527.6
Administered 118.6 103.7
Total $ 681.0 $ 631.3
For a more detailed discussion of assets under management and administration see ‘‘Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations’’ included in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our Principal Brands
We utilize multiple brands for the products and services offered by our businesses. We believe that using distinct brands for
these products and services allows us to differentiate them in the marketplace.
We use Ameriprise Financialȵ as our enterprise brand, as well as the name of our advisor network and certain of our retail
products and services. The retail products and services that use the Ameriprise Financial brand include those that we
provide through our advisors (e.g., financial planning, investment advisory accounts and retail brokerage services) and
products and services that we market directly to consumers or through affinity groups (e.g., personal auto and home
insurance).
We use Columbia Managementȵ as the primary brand for our U.S. asset management products and services, including
retail and institutional asset management products. We primarily use our Threadneedleȵ brand for marketing our asset
management products outside of the U.S.
We use our RiverSourceᓼ brand for our annuity and protection products issued by the RiverSource Life companies,
including our life and disability income insurance products.
History and Development
Our company has a more than 118 year history of providing financial solutions designed to help clients achieve their
financial objectives. Our earliest predecessor company, Investors Syndicate, was founded in 1894 to provide face-amount
certificates to consumers with a need for conservative investments. By 1937, Investors Syndicate had expanded its
product offerings through Federal Housing Authority mortgages, and later, mutual funds, by establishing Investors Mutual,
one of the pioneers in the mutual fund industry. In 1949, Investors Syndicate was renamed Investors Diversified
Services, Inc., or IDS. In 1957, IDS added life insurance products, and later, annuity products, through IDS Life Insurance
Company (now known as ‘‘RiverSource Life Insurance Company’’). In 1972, IDS began to expand its network by delivering
investment products directly to clients of unaffiliated financial institutions. IDS also introduced its comprehensive financial
planning processes to clients, integrating the identification of client needs with the products and services to address those
needs in the 1970s, and it introduced fee-based planning in the 1980s.
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