8-KEarnings & ResultsExhibits & Filings

AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC 8-K Report, Financial Results (Jan 28, 2009)

Filed January 28, 2009For Securities:AMP

Summary

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (AMP) filed this Form 8-K on January 28, 2009, to report its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008. The filing includes a press release (Exhibit 99.1) and a statistical supplement (Exhibit 99.2) detailing these results. Investors should note that the company presents its financial information on both a GAAP and a non-GAAP adjusted basis. The non-GAAP measures are utilized by management to provide a clearer view of the company's underlying operational performance by excluding items such as after-tax market-related impacts, integration and restructuring charges, and separation costs related to the spin-off from American Express. The company also provides specific definitions and rationale for these adjusted metrics, which they believe facilitate more meaningful trend analysis and are used for performance evaluation and compensation purposes.

Key Highlights

  • 1Ameriprise Financial announced its Q4 2008 financial results via an 8-K filing on January 28, 2009.
  • 2The report includes a press release (Exhibit 99.1) and a statistical supplement (Exhibit 99.2) for the quarter ended December 31, 2008.
  • 3The company reports financial results using both Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and non-GAAP adjusted measures.
  • 4Non-GAAP measures are used to exclude specific items impacting the bottom line, such as market-related impacts, integration/restructuring charges, and separation costs from American Express.
  • 5Management believes these non-GAAP measures provide a better reflection of the company's underlying operational performance and facilitate trend analysis.
  • 6Key non-GAAP metrics mentioned include core operating earnings, investment gains/losses, credit market losses, and various charges, all on an after-tax basis.
  • 7The filing also details specific adjustments made to debt-to-capital ratios, excluding certain non-recourse debt and including equity credit for junior subordinated notes.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary purpose of this 8-K filing is to report Ameriprise Financial's financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008. It includes a press release and a statistical supplement detailing these results.

Ameriprise reports on both GAAP and non-GAAP bases to provide investors with a more comprehensive view of performance. The non-GAAP measures are adjusted to exclude certain items management believes obscure the company's underlying operational performance, such as market-related impacts, restructuring costs, and separation expenses.

Non-GAAP reporting excludes after-tax market-related impacts, integration and restructuring charges, and costs directly related to the company's separation from American Express. These exclusions are intended to present a clearer picture of ongoing operational performance.

Ameriprise presents its debt-to-capital ratios in a few ways. They provide ratios that exclude certain non-recourse debt (related to variable interest entities and property fund limited partnerships) and also ratios that reflect an equity credit for their junior subordinated notes, aiming to better represent their capital structure.