CNA vs 
Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?
CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service
CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. 1,2,3
What Is Founder Shield Insurance?
Founder Shield is a broker for venture-backed startups: you apply online in under 15 minutes, and an advisor shops its 200+ carrier markets to build a program that changes as your products and locations change. It doesn't insure you itself, so ask which insurer carries each policy. 5,6,7,8,9
What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance?
Fiduciary liability can protect your company and plan fiduciaries when participants claim mishandling of an employee benefit plan. If you sponsor a retirement or health plan, check who is insured and whether both administration errors and fiduciary-breach claims are addressed. 12,13,14
Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Sponsor and fiduciary eligibility
CNA’s 2025 Epack 3 sheet says its offering is written for public, private and nonprofit organizations, subject to underwriting. Founder Shield markets fiduciary liability to sponsors of a 401(k) or similar plan and to the individual fiduciaries who handle plan funds or property ( 4 10). CNA states organization types; Founder Shield identifies the plan sponsor and individual fiduciary roles. A buyer should check both its legal organization type and which people handle plan assets.
Allegations involving investment and plan administration
Founder Shield lists risky plan investments, poor investment advice, errors in benefits processing, and improper denial or change of benefits as claim examples. CNA’s 2025 sheet describes fiduciary exposure from administration and management of employee-benefit and retirement plans ( 10 4). The examples give a plan committee concrete events to compare with CNA’s broader administration description. Check each quoted form’s insured definition and wrongful-act wording for the same plan duties.
What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes
- Which Founder Shield carrier, plan-sponsor roles and allegations appear in the proposed policy?
- Does CNA underwrite your organization type and plan, and what limits and retentions are quoted?
CNA and Founder Shield Review Scores for 2026
These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.
CNA Review Score
Review Score
1 rated source
Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.[1][5]
Read CNA reviewsFounder Shield Review Score
Review Score
1 rated source
Founder Shield has too little independent customer feedback for a reliable verdict. One positive Trustpilot review does not establish a service track record.[1][4]
Read Founder Shield reviewsCNA vs Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance Compared
CNA vs Founder Shield: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | CNA Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability | Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Confirm in your quote. | Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. 11Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. 7Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements. |
| Who It’s For | CNA states its fiduciary offering is written for public, private and nonprofit organizations. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: Subject to underwriting and policy terms. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. | Founder Shield markets fiduciary liability to plan sponsors offering a 401(k) or similar plan and to the individual fiduciaries who handle plan funds or property. 10Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page. |
| Coverage Features | CNA states its Fiduciary Liability addresses exposure from administration and management of employee benefit and retirement plans. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: This is fiduciary liability, not an ERISA fidelity bond or employee-benefits liability. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. CNA lists defense/claim expenses, certain legal penalties, voluntary compliance costs and pre-claim investigation costs among its fiduciary coverage features. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. | Founder Shield lists claims of risky plan investments, poor investment advice, administrative errors in benefits processing, and improper denial or change of benefits as scenarios fiduciary liability responds to. 10Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage. Founder Shield distinguishes fiduciary liability from D&O and general liability: it responds to breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims tied to ERISA plan administration, not general management or bodily-injury claims. 10Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | You request Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. 11,7Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form. |
| Claims Support | CNA says fiduciary insureds have access to a claims team and expert guidance. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Fiduciary Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. employee-benefit/retirement-plan fiduciary liability under Epack 3; not ERISA fidelity bond Claim limitation: Company-reported service description; not an outcome guarantee. Source/date qualification: Fiduciary sheet dated 20251218 / ©2025; it is a marketing summary, not the issued policy form. | Confirm in your quote. |
Related Pages for CNA vs Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Fiduciary Liability Insurance Pages for CNA and Founder Shield
Other Coverage Lines Compared for CNA vs Founder Shield
Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for CNA vs Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Sources About CNA
- Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
- CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Fiduciary Liability | CNA. CNA; pp. 1–2: benefit-plan administration, covered costs, eligible organizations and claims. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Sources About Founder Shield
- Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Startup Insurance. Founder Shield; What Coverage Does your Startup Need?; Why Startups Choose Founder Shield; Industries We Serve; Essential Policies to Consider section. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach? Founder Shield; FAQ answer on carrier selection: works exclusively with A-rated (AM Best) carriers, matched by industry appetite. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year? Founder Shield; Carl Niedbala answer, November 25, 2024: operational changes and coverage adjustments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Terms of Service. Founder Shield; Opening agreement; License Status; Representations and Disclaimers Related to Products or Services; Fees and Charges; Void Where Prohibited. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance?; Who Needs Fiduciary Liability Insurance Coverage?; What Does Fiduciary Liability Insurance Cover? Accessed 2026-09-23.
- About Us. Founder Shield; “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Sources for the Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide
- Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2008-04: Guidance Regarding ERISA Fidelity Bonding Requirements. U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; Q2 pp.2–3. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Fiduciary Liability. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; II.D,J–L pp.2–3; II.A p.1; II.V p.5; Header p.1; II.M p.3; I p.1; III.A.6–8 pp.5–6; II.M.2 p.3; III.B.1 p.6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? Accessed 2026-09-16.
