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EXHIBIT 99.CERT
CERTIFICATIONS
Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Robert S. Dow, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of Lord Abbett
Bond-Debenture Fund, Inc.;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statements of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in
net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required
to include a statement of cash flows) of the Registrant as of, and
for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for
the Registrant and have:
a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
Registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made
known to us by others within those entities, particularly during
the period in which this report is being prepared; and
b. evaluated the effectiveness of the Registrant's disclosure
controls and procedures and presented in this report our
conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing
date of this report based on such evaluation;
5. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based
on our most recent evaluation, to the Registrant's auditors and the
audit committee or the Registrant's Board of Directors (or persons
performing the equivalent functions):
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a. all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Registrant's
ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data;
and
b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
other employees who have a significant role in the Registrant's
internal controls over financial reporting; and
6. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have indicated in
this report whether or not there were significant changes in internal
controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal
controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation,
including any corrective actions with regard to significant
deficiencies and material weaknesses.
Date: August 25, 2004
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/s/Robert S. Dow
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Robert S. Dow
Chief Executive Officer,
Chairman and President
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CERTIFICATIONS
Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Joan A. Binstock, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of Lord Abbett
Bond-Debenture Fund, Inc.;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statements of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in
net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required
to include a statement of cash flows) of the Registrant as of, and
for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for
the Registrant and have:
a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
Registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made
known to us by others within those entities, particularly during
the period in which this report is being prepared; and
b. evaluated the effectiveness of the Registrant's disclosure
controls and procedures and presented in this report our
conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing
date of this report based on such evaluation;
5. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based
on our most recent evaluation, to the Registrant's auditors and the
audit committee or the Registrant's Board of Directors (or persons
performing the equivalent functions):
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a. all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Registrant's
ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data;
and
b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
other employees who have a significant role in the Registrant's
internal controls over financial reporting; and
6. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have indicated in
this report whether or not there were significant changes in internal
controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal
controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation,
including any corrective actions with regard to significant
deficiencies and material weaknesses.
Date: August 25, 2004
---------------
/s/Joan A. Binstock
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Joan A. Binstock
Chief Financial Officer and Vice President