Lord Abbett

Office address: 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Website: lordabbett.com
Year established: 1929
Company type: financial services
Employees: 730+
Expertise: fixed income, equity, private credit, municipal bonds, high yield bonds, leveraged credit, alternatives, CLO equity, separately managed accounts, interval funds, UCITS funds, model portfolios, retirement planning
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Douglas Sieg (CEO); Sarah Ali, Angela Fannon, Jennifer Karam, Steven Rocco, Adam Backman, and Ryan Howard (partners)
Financing status: privately held

Lord Abbett is a Jersey City-based investment manager that operates independently. The firm manages $244 billion in assets as of September 30, 2025. With over 730 employees, it offers fixed income, equity, private credit, and municipal bond strategies.

History of Lord Abbett

Lord Abbett opened its doors in 1929, just weeks after the market crash that sparked the Great Depression. The company quickly proved its staying power despite the difficult economic climate.

By 1932, it created American Business Shares, one of the earliest US mutual funds. That fund is now known as the Lord Abbett Income Fund.

From computers to high yield credit

The firm entered into new territory in 1954 when it developed what it believed was the first computer tool for investment analysis. A year later, it published the only document at the time that set standards for executing portfolio transactions.

The company then moved into fixed income in 1971 by pioneering a multi-sector approach to the asset class. This made it one of the earliest investors in what would become the high yield credit market.

Lord Abbett's global expansion

The firm entered a new chapter in 2003 with the launch of its Innovation Growth Equity franchise. It kicked off global expansion in 2007 through UCITS funds and later opened offices in London and Dublin in 2017.

Two years later, the company extended its credit capabilities with the launch of its first interval fund. It then opened offices in Zurich and Dubai in 2021, followed by Singapore in 2022.

Lord Abbett products and services

Lord Abbett offers investment products built on decades of fixed income and equity expertise:

For financial advisors

• interval funds: quarterly redemption products for less liquid assets
• managed accounts: actively managed portfolios with tax-loss harvesting
• model portfolios: ready-made strategies for advisor client portfolios
• mutual funds: equity, fixed income, private credit, and tax-free options

For individual investors

• mutual funds: broad access to diversified investment strategies
• interval funds: long-term products with quarterly redemption windows

For institutional investors

• fixed income: core, core plus, municipals, and credit strategies
• US equity: small cap, mid cap, value, and growth options
• global and international equity: exposure to non-US developed and emerging markets

The firm also offers UCITS funds for clients outside the US. Lord Abbett provides separately managed accounts and retirement planning solutions as well.

Culture and corporate values

Lord Abbett states that it began reshaping its culture in 2018. The firm organizes its approach around three main areas:

1. principles-based
2. performance-oriented
3. purpose-driven

The company says it aims to be a respected asset manager. It states that it focuses on attracting and retaining top talent. According to Lord Abbett, it builds an environment where employees can thrive. Benefits offered to staff include:

• physical health: medical, dental, and vision plans, plus on-site fitness center
• mental health: EAP counseling, meditation and sleep apps, and wellness spaces
• financial health: retirement savings with employer match, HSA, tuition help, and insurance
• other perks: unlimited PTO, daily food credit, family support, and volunteer programs

It also takes governance and sustainability into account. The firm factors sustainability considerations into its investment decisions. It engages with issuers and uses proxy voting to support long-term value.

About CEO Douglas Sieg and key people

Douglas Sieg is CEO and managing partner, the tenth to hold this role in 95 years. Sieg joined Lord Abbett in 1994 and has led across multiple areas of the firm. He holds a BS in business from The Pennsylvania State University.

Several partners help guide Lord Abbett's investment and business operations:

• Sarah Ali serves as partner and COO of investments, leading research and trading teams since 2019
• Steven Rocco is partner and co-head of taxable fixed income, with over 24 years of industry experience
• Adam Backman is partner and head of product strategy, guiding the company's product development and growth
• Ryan Howard is partner and lead portfolio manager for global equity, managing the strategy since joining in 2003
• Angela Fannon is partner and CFO, handling Lord Abbett's financial operations and reporting
• Jennifer Karam is partner and senior deputy general counsel, supporting legal and compliance matters across the firm

Lord Abbett's governance structure supports its investment goals and business growth. The partnership model helps maintain leadership continuity over time.

The future at Lord Abbett

The company has partnered with Apollo Global Management, an alternatives giant, on an investment-grade credit interval fund. This collaboration is part of Apollo's broader push to reach retail investors in a market worth an estimated $60 trillion. The partnership signals Lord Abbett's growing role in the alternatives space as it works with major players to expand client access to private credit.

On another front, Lord Abbett is among 30 asset managers seeking SEC approval for dual-share-class ETFs. This structure would let the firm offer both mutual fund and ETF versions of the same strategy. The move could give clients more flexibility and better tax efficiency as the product landscape shifts.

The latest Lord Abbett news