Ameriprise Review: Points to Know
• Full-service brokerage and investment-advice accounts are available from Ameriprise Financial.
• Ameriprise offers other services, including insurance plans and bank accounts.
• Custom financial planning is Ameriprise’s focus.
Overview of Ameriprise
Ameriprise Financial is a Fortune 500 company that offers many very helpful services through investment professionals at branch locations spread around the country.
Ameriprise Investing

For securities trading, Ameriprise provides full-service brokerage and investment-advice accounts. By “full-service,” we mean that every account, whether brokerage or managed, must be opened through an investment professional at a nearby Ameriprise office. It is not possible to open a securities account online.
Ameriprise provides the following assets for investing:
- Stocks (including OTC stocks)
- Options
- Warrants
- Structured products
- Unit Investment Trusts (UITs)
- Mutual funds
- Exchange-traded and closed-end funds
- Bonds and other fixed-income instruments
- Alternative assets, including
- Hedge funds
- Managed futures funds
- Business development companies
- Off-exchange products
- Real estate private placements
- 1031 exchanges
- Private equity
- Syndicate offerings
The above investments can be held in taxable accounts and a range of tax shelters. Ameriprise provides custodial accounts, 529 plans, Individual Retirement Accounts, 401(k) plans, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, trusts, and more.
Banking

Because Ameriprise wants to be a one-stop financial-services firm, it does not stop when investing is done. It does provide a variety of cash-management products, and these, too, must be opened through a local financial advisor.
Examples of cash choices available at Ameriprise include:
- Savings accounts
- Certificates of Deposit (yields as high as 4.85%)
- Ameriprise ONE® Financial Account
- Visa debit and credit cards
- Home loans
- Securities-based lending
The Ameriprise ONE® Financial Account is a brokerage account with cash features. It includes convenient check writing, a debit card, and online bill pay. Because it is technically a securities account, it can still hold many of the securities mentioned in the first section.
Regular and cash-enhanced brokerage accounts at Ameriprise can invest in an assortment of money-market products that yield around 3.05% right now. The company also has an FDIC-sweep program that yields far less but delivers $2.5 million in FDIC protection.
Insurance

After investing and banking come insurance. Because Ameriprise is a traditional full-service firm, insurance is a major priority. There are a variety of insurance products available to Ameriprise customers. These contracts include:
- Disability income insurance
- Annuities (including fixed, variable, structured, fixed index, and immediate)
- Auto and home insurance
- Life insurance
- Long-term care insurance
Financial Planning

To round out the financial picture, Ameriprise offers financial planning through its licensed investment advisor representatives. Services that are available through this program include:
- Advice for the three lines mentioned above (investing, banking, and insurance)
- Tax strategies
- Personalized financial plan
- Trust management
- Estate planning
- Retirement income
- Retirement planning
- Cash-flow management
- Estate planning
- Business valuation
- Employee benefits
- Education funding
- Goal planning
- And more...
In addition to in-person financial planning, Ameriprise has a team of virtual advisors who work with clients through digital channels.
Ameriprise Fees and Minimums

With such a long list of financial services, you may be thinking there’s probably a cost for all of this—and there is. Managed accounts are charged a percentage of assets under management. The maximum this fee can be is 2%. Some programs may charge less, although some add-on services will be an additional charge, so it is possible to exceed 2% for an account overall. Minimums for advisory accounts vary from $25,000 to $500,000.
Brokerage accounts have no minimums and no management fees, although they will have a variety of commissions that will be disclosed during account opening.
Self-directed accounts have annual or quarterly fees that vary by account type. A 529 account has a $25 annual fee. The Ameriprise ONE® Financial Account costs $25 per quarter and has a $500 minimum to open. The annual fee on the Coverdell account is $10. In all cases, the recurring charge can be avoided or reduced through several methods, such as having household assets above $500,000.
Financial planning for investment-advisory customers can be included in the 2% fee, although it’s
possible to obtain a financial plan without an advisory relationship. In this case, the minimum fee is
$500 per year, and the chosen advisor could charge more.
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Margin

Brokerage clients at Ameriprise can buy securities with borrowed money. The firm’s margin schedule is as follows:
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Debit Balance
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Margin Interest Rates
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$500,000+
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10%
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$100,000 - $499,999.99
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10.5%
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$50,000 - $99,999.99
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11%
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$25,000 - $49,999.99
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12.25%
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$0 - $24,999.99
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13%
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Software

Ameriprise has a website, mobile app, and automated phone system. Brokerage trades can be placed on the website and through the phone system. There is no desktop software.
Extra Services

DRIP Service: Automatic dividend reinvesting is possible in some account types at Ameriprise.
Extended-hours Trading: Not available.
Stock-Lending Income Program: Not available, either.
IPO Access: Ameriprise offers access to primary offerings of closed-end funds and preferred securities (but not common stock).
IRA Service: Ameriprise offers Individual Retirement Accounts with a $75 annual fee.
Recommendations
Frequent Stock Trading: Ameriprise doesn’t offer the software needed for advanced equity trading.
We suggest Charles Schwab instead.
Long-Term Investors & Retirement Savers: Ameriprise would be a very good choice.
Small Accounts: Because of Ameriprise’s minimums and fee schedule, we cannot suggest it for small
investors. Charles Schwab, by comparison, has no minimums and mostly no commissions for its robo and self-directed accounts.
Beginning Investors: Ameriprise is a very good firm for beginners who can meet the account minimums.
Mutual Funds: Ameriprise has roughly 2,200 mutual funds. Charles Schwab, by
comparison, has 6,500, all with no transaction fees. We would go with Firstrade.
Ameriprise Financial Review Verdict
For traditional full-service investing, Ameriprise is worth a shot. But for active stock, options, and crypto trading, we would look elsewhere.
Updated on 10/6/2025.

Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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