John Elliott Tappan

John Elliott Tappan
Born(1870-08-29)August 29, 1870
DiedJanuary 16, 1957(1957-01-16) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)Lawyer and businessman
Known forInventing the investment certificate
SpouseWinifred Gallagher Tappan
Children5

John Elliott Tappan (August 29, 1870 - January 16, 1957) was an American lawyer and businessman from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tappan founded Investors Syndicate in 1894, an investment company which later became Investors Diversified Services (IDS), then American Express Financial Advisors, and is known today as Ameriprise Financial and RiverSource.

Tappan is credited with inventing the investment certificate, and making the first certificate available to the public when he founded the Investors Syndicate.