Core Insights - Ameriprise Financial, Inc. has been recognized by Newsweek as one of "America's Greatest Companies" for 2025, highlighting the firm's excellence in business performance, leadership, and innovation [1] Summary by Categories Business Performance - The ranking evaluates U.S. companies based on financial strength, stock performance, workforce culture, and performance [1] Leadership - Ameriprise's recognition reflects its enduring commitment to excelling as a high-performing company [1] Innovation - The evaluation includes the company's investment in innovation as a key pillar for the ranking [1]

Core Insights - Wells Fargo is actively expanding its independent contractor channel by attracting advisors, exemplified by the recent recruitment of an 11-person advisor team from Ameriprise [1][4] - Clearwater Private Wealth Advisors, led by managing partners Gregg Keele and Ryan Perkins, managed approximately $1 billion in client assets while affiliated with Ameriprise and has transitioned to Wells Fargo's Financial Network to better serve its upscale client base [2][3] Group 1 - The new team operates from three offices in Indiana and is supported by a staff of 12 [2] - The move to Wells Fargo is seen as a strategic progression for Clearwater Private Wealth Advisors, enhancing their ability to serve clients [3] - Keele and Perkins have extensive experience, with Keele leaving Ameriprise after 26 years and Perkins after about 24 years [3] Group 2 - Wells Fargo has been focusing on attracting advisors from both competitors and its own network, having created a new role for overseeing independent solutions [4] - The firm reported over 11,000 advisors across its FiNet and First Clearing channels in its 2024 annual report [4] - Ameriprise reported a headcount of more than 10,000 advisors across its employee and affiliate channels in its 2024 annual report [5]

Group 1 - Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset management group [1] - The company provides a broad range of actively managed investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional, and corporate clients [1] - Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global asset management group of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. [1]

Core Insights - Ameriprise Financial, Inc. announced the addition of financial advisor Alex Gunn to Third Coast Advisors, enhancing its advisory capabilities [1] - Alex Gunn has 16 years of industry experience and previously managed over $130 million in client assets at PNC Investments [1] Company Developments - The move is part of Ameriprise Financial's strategy to strengthen its financial advisory practice within the Ameriprise Financial Institutions Group [1] - Third Coast Advisors is located in Georgetown, Texas, and focuses on providing advice and investment services to its clients [1]

Core Points - Ameriprise Financial, Inc. has announced its 14th consecutive year of matching donations to Feeding America, with a cap of $250,000 [1] - The initiative aims to assist over 47 million people in the U.S., including 13 million children, who face food insecurity [1] - Each dollar donated through October 31 will provide 20 meals to families and individuals in need [1] Company Initiatives - The donation matching program is open to public participation, encouraging community involvement [1] - The partnership with Feeding America highlights Ameriprise's commitment to social responsibility and community support [1]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Group NPAT increased over 9% to $131 million, driven by cash flows in wealth businesses and efficiency improvements despite over 3% inflation [3][12] - Total revenue rose to $632 million, with controllable costs decreasing by over 4% to $300 million, resulting in a 14% EBIT improvement [12][28] - EPS improved by 18%, positively impacted by operating performance and share buybacks, with a cost-to-income ratio improving almost 3% to 59.4% [3][12] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Platforms NPAT increased to $58 million, up 7.4% due to significant AUM growth, with AUM up over 11% to $83.2 billion [14][16] - Superannuation and Investments NPAT remained flat at $34 million, with AUM growing over 8% to $58.5 billion [15][19] - AMP Bank NPAT improved to $36 million, reflecting careful management of volume and margin, with NIM growing by 2 basis points [21][22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - New Zealand NPAT increased almost 12% to $19 million, supported by diversified revenue streams despite a challenging economic environment [24][25] - AUM in New Zealand rose by 9.6% to $12.2 billion, driven by market movements [14][25] - Partnerships in China delivered strong results, with NPAT up 35% to $27 million, while other partnerships saw a decline due to property valuations [26][27] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to drive improvement in wealth flows, innovate in retirement, and utilize AI for advisor efficiency [33] - Focus on scaling AMP Bank Go while seeking niche lending opportunities to enhance margins [33] - Continued support for partnerships and potential exit from the PCCP relationship in the future [34] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about the growth in China partnerships, expecting a 10% growth through the cycle despite economic challenges [39][40] - The company is cautious about maintaining NIM due to competitive pressures in the banking sector [42][44] - Management emphasizes the importance of cost discipline and plans to maintain controllable costs while investing in growth [87][89] Other Important Information - The interim dividend announced is $0.02 per share, franked at 20% [3] - The business simplification program is expected to conclude slightly later than anticipated but remains within the guided investment envelope of $150 million pretax [31][32] Q&A Session Summary Question: Earnings growth outlook for China partnerships - Management expects continued strong growth in the China partnerships, supported by government pension reforms and a favorable macro backdrop, with a target of 10% growth through the cycle [39][40] Question: NIM expectations for the second half - Management maintains a cautious outlook for NIM, citing competitive pressures and a decline in deposit volumes, which may affect future performance [41][44] Question: Margin dynamics in Superannuation and Investments - Management indicates that margin compression is primarily due to AUM growth and fee caps, with a focus on improving the customer mix to enhance margins [46][54] Question: Capital management and future outlook - Management acknowledges uncertainties but remains optimistic about capital position, emphasizing the need to balance between holding capital and investing for growth [49][50] Question: Controllable costs and inflationary pressures - Management is committed to meeting controllable cost guidelines while acknowledging that inflationary pressures will impact future costs [56][89]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Group NPAT increased by over 9% to $131 million, driven by cash flows in wealth businesses and efficiency improvements despite absorbing over 3% inflation [2][10] - EPS improved by 18% in the half, positively impacted by operating performance and share buybacks [2][10] - Total revenue rose to $632 million, with controllable costs decreasing by over 4% to $300 million, resulting in a 14% EBIT improvement [10][25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Platforms AUM grew over 11% to $83.2 billion, with margin holding steady at 43 basis points [11][12] - Superannuation and Investments AUM increased by over 8% to $58.5 billion, with a slight margin decrease to 62 basis points [12][17] - AMP Bank NPAT rose to $36 million, reflecting careful management of volume and margin, with NIM growing by 2 basis points [19][20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - New Zealand AUM increased by 9.6% to $12.2 billion, driven by market movements despite modest margin compression [12][22] - Partnerships in China delivered strong results, with NPAT up 35% to $27 million, while other partnerships saw a decline due to property valuations [22][24] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to innovate in retirement solutions and enhance advisor efficiency through AI [5][32] - Focus on scaling AMP Bank Go while seeking niche lending opportunities to improve margins [32] - Continued emphasis on cost discipline and business simplification, with a target to maintain controllable costs at $600 million [28][90] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about the growth potential in China, expecting a 10% growth rate through the cycle [38][39] - The economic environment in New Zealand is challenging, but diversified income streams provide some protection [7][22] - Management is cautious about maintaining NIM due to competitive pressures in the banking sector [40][43] Other Important Information - An interim dividend of $0.02 per share was announced, franked at 20% [2] - The business simplification program is expected to conclude slightly later than anticipated but remains within the guided investment envelope of $150 million pretax [28][29] Q&A Session Summary Question: Earnings growth outlook for China partnerships - Management expects continued strong growth in the China partnerships, supported by government pension reforms and a favorable macro backdrop [38][39] Question: NIM trajectory and full-year expectations - Management maintains a cautious outlook for NIM, expecting it to remain around 1.3% for the full year due to competitive pressures and deposit volume fluctuations [40][43] Question: S and I business margin outlook - Management indicated that margin dynamics are influenced by customer mix and retention, with a focus on onboarding new clients to improve margins [52][53] Question: Capital management and future outlook - Management is optimistic about capital position but remains cautious due to ongoing uncertainties, including class action litigation [48][49] Question: AMP Bank Go performance and target market - The initial focus has been on personal banking, but management expects to see a shift towards SME offerings as more products are launched [58]

Financial Performance - Group underlying NPAT increased by 9.2% to $131 million compared to $120 million in 1H 24[5, 27] - Underlying EPS increased by 18.2% to 5.2 cents per share[6, 27] - Controllable costs improved by 4.4% to $303 million[5, 27, 90] - Cost to income ratio improved by 2.9 percentage points to 59.4%[6, 27] Assets Under Management (AUM) - Total AUM increased by 3.7% since FY 24 to $153.9 billion[6, 30] - Platforms AUM grew by 4.3% to $83.2 billion[32] - Superannuation & Investments AUM grew by 2.8% to $58.5 billion[32] - New Zealand Wealth Management AUM increased by 3.6% to $12.2 billion[32] Business Unit Performance - Platforms underlying NPAT increased by 7.4% to $58 million[33, 37] - Superannuation & Investments underlying NPAT remained stable at $34 million[33, 48] - AMP Bank underlying NPAT increased by 2.9% to $36 million[33, 61] - New Zealand Wealth Management underlying NPAT increased by 11.8% to $19 million[33, 74] - Group underlying NPAT showed a decrease of 20.0% to -$16 million[33, 77] AMP Bank - Residential mortgage book grew by 2.8% to $23.326 billion[61] - Net interest margin (NIM) increased by 2 basis points to 1.30%[61] - Transactional balances for 'AMP Bank GO' reached $123 million[21]

Group 1 - The stock of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (AMP) is experiencing significant attention due to high implied volatility in the options market, particularly the Sep 19, 2025 $640 Put option [1] - Implied volatility indicates the market's expectation of future price movement, suggesting that investors anticipate a significant change in Ameriprise Financial's stock price, potentially due to an upcoming event [2] - Ameriprise Financial currently holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) in the Financial - Investment Management industry, which is in the top 18% of the Zacks Industry Rank, with recent earnings estimates for the current quarter increasing from $9.08 to $9.32 per share [3] Group 2 - The high implied volatility surrounding Ameriprise Financial may indicate a developing trading opportunity, as options traders often seek to sell premium on such options to capture decay, hoping the stock does not move as much as expected by expiration [4]

Core Insights - Ameriprise Financial reported adjusted operating earnings per share of $9.11 for Q2 2025, surpassing analyst expectations of $9.00, while revenue was $4.30 billion, slightly below consensus estimates, indicating strong profitability despite mixed growth momentum [1][2] Financial Performance - Adjusted operating earnings per share (Non-GAAP) increased by 6.8% year-over-year from $8.53 to $9.11 [2] - Revenue (Non-GAAP) rose by 4.0% year-over-year from $4.17 billion to $4.34 billion [2] - Net income (GAAP) increased by 27.9% year-over-year from $829 million to $1,060 million [2] - Total assets under management reached $1.58 trillion, an 8.6% increase from the previous year [2] Business Segments Overview - Wealth management remains the primary growth driver, with total client assets reaching a record $1.08 trillion, up 11% year-over-year [5] - The asset management segment, represented by Columbia Threadneedle Investments, reported $690 billion in assets under management, a 2% increase year-over-year, despite net outflows of $8.7 billion [7] - The retirement and protection solutions segment saw a 9% rise in pretax adjusted operating earnings to $214 million, with adjusted operating net revenues increasing by 1% to $936 million [8] Strategic Developments - The company launched the Signature Wealth Program, a new unified managed account platform, aimed at simplifying investment solutions for clients and advisors [6][12] - Advisor productivity increased by 11%, reaching $1.07 million in trailing twelve-month adjusted operating net revenue per advisor [5] - The company emphasized ongoing investments in compliance, digital client service, and operational transformation to support long-term growth [10] Capital Management - Ameriprise distributed $158 million in dividends and repurchased $573 million in shares, totaling $731 million, which is about 81% of adjusted operating earnings [9] - The return on equity, excluding accumulated other comprehensive income, was 45.8% for the trailing twelve months ended Q2 2025 [9] - The balance sheet showed $7.96 billion in cash and a debt-to-capital ratio of 33.6%, down from 40.5% a year earlier [9] Future Outlook - Management did not provide explicit full-year earnings or revenue guidance but indicated that general and administrative expenses in wealth management are expected to increase by low to mid-single digits for the full year [14] - Investors are advised to monitor net client flow trends in wealth management, as this metric has slowed, and asset management's net outflows, which, while improved, remain a concern [15]