Counterpart vs Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Counterpart’s fiduciary page addresses plan administration and ERISA exposure. Founder Shield names plan sponsors and fiduciaries and lists investment, advice, and benefits-processing claims. 3,10

What Is Counterpart Insurance?

Counterpart describes a broker-focused platform for small businesses and lists management and professional liability programs. Buyers should compare the named profession, carrier, state, policy wording and any package component on the actual quote. 1,2

Read the Counterpart profile

Read the Counterpart Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

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

Read the Founder Shield profile

Read the Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

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

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance

Plan Roles

Founder Shield markets fiduciary coverage to plan sponsors offering a 401(k) or similar plan and to individuals handling plan funds or property. Counterpart describes employer and benefit-plan contexts on its dedicated page. If you need both entity and individual protection, confirm who qualifies as an insured in each proposed form. 3 10

Investment and Administration Claims

Founder Shield lists risky investments, poor advice, benefits-processing errors, and improper denial or change of benefits as claim scenarios, and distinguishes these from general D&O or bodily-injury claims. Counterpart also addresses benefit-plan administration and ERISA exposure but labels its limits illustrative. Ask for the actual insuring agreement and exclusions tied to your plan’s duties. 3 10

What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Founder Shield which carrier issues the policy and how plan fiduciaries and the sponsor share limits. 3
  • Ask Counterpart for exact insured-person definitions, limits, and treatment of investment and benefits-processing allegations. 10

Review Scores

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.

Counterpart

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

We found no independent customer rating of Counterpart, so it has no Review Score. Its Trustpilot page shows no reviews, and BBB has no matching business.[7][10]

Read Counterpart reviews

Founder Shield

7.4/ 10

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 reviews

Offering Details

Counterpart vs Founder Shield: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCounterpart Fiduciary LiabilityFounder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance
Role in This Line

Counterpart describes a producer and surplus-lines broker distributing insurance through wholesale brokers. 1,4Company-reported. This describes Counterpart’s channel and does not identify the issuing insurer for a fiduciary placement.

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

Counterpart describes employer and benefit-plan contexts on its dedicated Fiduciary Liability page. 3Company-reported. This is product marketing, not proof a given plan, sponsor or fiduciary is eligible.

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

Counterpart’s fiduciary page addresses benefit-plan administration and ERISA-related exposures. 3Company-reported. The retained product description does not establish the full insured-party definition, ERISA terms or exclusions.

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.

Limits and Retentions

The page includes illustrative limit examples for fiduciary coverage. 3Company-reported. Figures are examples and are not a quote or guaranteed available limit.

Confirm in your quote.

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.

Full Comparison

More Counterpart vs Founder Shield Comparisons

Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Counterpart

  1. Counterpart | Agentic Insurance™. Counterpart, Inc.; Current homepage: Quote Online CTA; brokers/small-business audiences; product list; performance claims; legal/footer qualifications, rendered lines 2–52, 55–70, 98–100, 282–287. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. About Counterpart. Counterpart, Inc.; Carrier disclosure and Our Story; underwriters named at line 13; company focus lines 22–36. Financial-strength note says ratings are as of 2024-02-26. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Counterpart, Inc.; Retained provider source: product page covers plan/employer eligibility, ERISA and plan administration, with examples and illustrative limits; prior access 2026-09-28. Direct reopen timed out in this session. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. How can I get insurance through Counterpart? Counterpart Knowledge Center; Retained source: article describes wholesale-broker referral route; prior access 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Founder Shield

  1. Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. About Us. Founder Shield; “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Fiduciary Liability Insurance Guide

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Fiduciary Liability Insurance. Travelers; What Is Fiduciary Liability Insurance? Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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