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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Total Return Portfolio
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek income and capital appreciation to produce a high total return.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading FEES AND EXPENSES
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The table does not reflect the fees and expenses of variable annuity contracts or variable life insurance policies (together, “Variable Contracts”). If such fees and expenses were reflected, expenses shown would be higher.

Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination 2014-04-30
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover.
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 588.93% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 588.93%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that dividends and distributions are reinvested, and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example takes into account the contractual management fee waiver and expense limitation agreement between the Fund and Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC for the term of the agreement). The example does not reflect variable contract expenses, fees, and charges. If these expenses, fees, and charges were included, your costs would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal market conditions, the Fund pursues its investment objective by investing primarily in investment grade debt securities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in high-yield debt securities (commonly referred to as “lower-rated” or “junk” bonds). In addition, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in non-U.S. (including emerging market) debt securities denominated in foreign currencies.


The Fund generally may invest in the following types of debt securities:


 

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Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises;

 

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Corporate debt securities;

 

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Mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities;

 

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Inflation-linked investments; and

 

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Senior loans, including bridge loans, novations, assignments, and participations.


The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in any industry; however, this limitation does not apply to mortgage-backed securities and securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities.


The Fund attempts to manage interest rate risk through its management of the average duration of the securities it holds in its portfolio. The Fund expects to maintain its average duration range within two years of the bond market’s duration as measured by the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (which was approximately five years as of March 15, 2013).


In addition, the Fund may invest in derivatives. Currently, the Fund expects to invest in derivatives consisting principally of futures, forwards, options, and swaps. The Fund may use derivatives in order to seek to enhance returns, to attempt to hedge some of its investment risk, to manage portfolio duration, or as a substitute position for holding the underlying asset on which the derivative instrument is based.


The Fund engages in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities.


The Fund generally will sell a security when the Fund believes the security is less likely to benefit from the current market and economic environment, shows signs of deteriorating fundamentals, or has reached its valuation target, among other reasons. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested in accordance with its investment objective; however, in response to adverse economic, market or other unfavorable conditions, the Fund may invest its assets in a temporary defensive manner.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading PRINCIPAL RISKS
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

As with any investment in a mutual fund, investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment. When you redeem your shares, they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you may lose a portion or all of the money you invested in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its performance, include:


 

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Portfolio Management Risk: If the strategies used and securities selected by the Fund’s portfolio management fail to produce the intended result, the Fund may suffer losses or underperform other funds with the same investment objective or strategies, even in a rising market.

 

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Fixed Income Securities Risk: The Fund is subject to the general risks and considerations associated with investing in debt securities, including the risk that issuers will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest. Typically, shorter-term bonds are less volatile than longer-term bonds; however, longer-term bonds typically offer higher yields and more stable interest income than shorter-term bonds. Fixed income securities are subject to risks including interest rate risk, credit risk, and liquidity risk, all of which are described more fully below.

 

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Credit Risk and High-Yield Securities Risk: The issuer of a debt security owned by the Fund may fail to make timely payments of principal or interest, or may default on such payments. A debt security may decline in value if the issuer becomes less creditworthy, even when interest rates are falling. These risks are greatest for high yield debt securities, which have lower credit ratings. The prices of high-yield bonds in general may decline during periods of uncertainty or market turmoil, and the market for high-yield bonds generally is less liquid than the market for higher-rated securities.

 

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Liquidity Risk: There may be few available buyers or sellers for a security, preventing the Fund from transacting in a timely manner or at an advantageous price, and subjecting the security to greater price fluctuations.

 

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Interest Rate Risk: A rise in prevailing interest rates generally will cause the price of a fixed rate debt security to fall. Generally, the longer the maturity of a security or weighted average maturity of the Fund, the more sensitive its price is to a rise in interest rates.

 

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Government Securities Risk and Mortgage-Related Securities Risk: The Fund invests in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies and instrumentalities (such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”)). Unlike Ginnie Mae securities, securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. government-related organizations such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government and no assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support. Mortgage-related securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in economic conditions, including delinquencies and/or defaults. They are subject to prepayment risk (higher than expected prepayment rates of mortgage obligations due to a fall in market interest rates) and extension risk (lower than expected prepayment rates of mortgage obligations due to a rise in market interest rates). These risks increase the Fund’s overall interest rate risk. Some mortgage-related securities receive government or private support, but there is no assurance that such support will remain in place.

 

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Inflation-Linked Investments Risk: The Fund may invest in Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (“TIPS”), which are U.S. government bonds whose principal automatically is adjusted for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), and other inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Unlike traditional fixed income securities, the principal and interest payments of inflation-linked investments are adjusted periodically based on the inflation rate. The value of the Fund’s inflation-linked investments may be vulnerable to changes in expectations of inflation or interest rates and there is no guarantee that the Fund’s use of these instruments will be successful.

 

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Foreign Company Risk: The Fund’s investment exposure to foreign (which may include emerging market) companies generally is subject to the risk that the value of securities issued by foreign companies may be adversely affected by political, economic and social volatility, lack of transparency or inadequate regulatory and accounting standards, inadequate exchange control regulations, foreign taxes, higher transaction and other costs, and delays in settlement. Because the Fund’s definition of foreign securities focuses on the currency in which the security is denominated rather than where the issuer is organized and/or operated, the percentage of the Fund’s assets that is exposed to foreign market risks may exceed the percentage of the Fund’s assets that the Fund defines as representing foreign securities. Emerging market securities generally are more volatile than other foreign securities, and are subject to greater liquidity, regulatory, and political risks.

 

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Senior Loan Risk: The Fund’s investments in floating or adjustable rate senior loans are subject to increased credit and liquidity risks. Senior loan prices also may be adversely affected by supply-demand imbalances caused by conditions in the senior loan market or related markets. Below investment grade senior loans, like high-yield debt securities, or junk bonds, usually are more credit than interest rate sensitive, although the value of these instruments may be affected by interest rate swings in the overall fixed income market.

 

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Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are subject to certain risks, including the risk that the value of the derivative may not correlate with the value of the underlying security, rate, or index in the manner anticipated by portfolio management. Derivatives may be more sensitive to changes in economic or market conditions and may become illiquid. Derivatives are subject to leverage risk, which may increase the Fund’s volatility, and counterparty risk, which means that the counterparty may fail to perform its obligations under the derivative contract.

 

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High Portfolio Turnover Risk: High portfolio turnover may result in increased brokerage fees or other transaction costs, reduced investment performance, and higher taxes.


An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. For more information on the principal risks of the Fund, please see the “More Information About the Fund – Principal Risks” section in the prospectus.

Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with any investment in a mutual fund, investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment. When you redeem your shares, they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you may lose a portion or all of the money you invested in the Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading PERFORMANCE
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by illustrating the variability of the Fund’s returns. Each assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by illustrating the variability of the Fund's returns.
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Fund's past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Bar Chart (per calendar year) - Class VC Shares
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block] rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the Fund's Class VC shares from calendar year to calendar year. This chart does not reflect the sales charges or other expenses of Variable Contracts. If those sales charges and expenses were reflected, returns would be lower.


Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads This chart does not reflect the sales charges or other expenses of Variable Contracts. If those sales charges and expenses were reflected, returns would be lower.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

 

 

 

Best Quarter 3rd Q ’11 +3.68%

 

Worst Quarter 4th Q ’12 +0.79%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 3.68%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2012
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn 0.79%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock

The table below shows how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare to the returns of securities market indices with investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund.

Barclays U.S. Universal Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.53%
Life of Class rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.30%
Inception Date for Performance rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 2010
Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.22%
Life of Class rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.86%
Inception Date for Performance rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 2010
Class VC
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.45%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.71%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.16%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.52%) [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.64% [1]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 65
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 317
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 588
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,363
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 8.77%
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 6.82%
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 6.82%
Life of Class rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.69%
Inception Date for Performance rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 2010
[1] For the period from May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014, Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC has contractually agreed to waive its fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to limit total net annual operating expenses to an annual rate of 0.64%. This agreement may be terminated only by the approval of the Fund's Board of Directors.