Commitments and Contingencies (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) letter_of_credit	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Commitments
Balance at the end of the period	$ 410,617,000
Unfunded commitments, due in one year	148,077,000	$ 166,356,000
Unfunded commitments related to cost basis limited partnership interests, due in one year	28,277,000	4,997,000
Unfavorable Regulatory Action
Commitments
Potential exposure	21,492,000
Insurance Claims
Commitments
Demand letter	$ 20,000,000
GWL&A Financial Inc.
Commitments
Number of letters of credit obtained for the benefit of related party | letter_of_credit	2
Revolving credit facility
Commitments
Amount of credit facility under agreement for general corporate purposes	$ 50,000,000
Adjusted net worth required for each quarter	1,100,000,000
Amount outstanding	0	0
First letter of credit
Commitments
Amount of credit facility under agreement for general corporate purposes	1,179,820,000
Second letter of credit
Commitments
Amount of credit facility under agreement for general corporate purposes	70,000,000
First and Second Letters of Credit
Commitments
Amount outstanding	0	0
Other Letters of Credit
Commitments
Amount of credit facility under agreement for general corporate purposes	9,095,000
Amount outstanding	$ 0	$ 0