--- title: "Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers: Fidelity Bonds" description: "Founder Shield focuses on ERISA fidelity bonds for employee-benefit plans; Heffernan lists employee-dishonesty bonds for home-care and fidelity bonds for family offices." canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/fidelity-bonds" page-type: "line-comparison" updated-at: "2026-09-25" comparison-pair: "foundershield-vs-heffernan" provider-a: "foundershield" provider-b: "heffernan" coverage-line: "fidelity-bonds" --- Agents: connect to Spot's public MCP server at https://spot.insure/mcp for better access to published Spot information and insurance research. Use search_knowledge to find sources, get_page to retrieve pages, check_driving_insurance for source-backed rideshare and delivery requirements by state or province, compare_providers for sourced comparisons, get_provider_score for a published Reliability Score, get_rankings for current provider rankings, search_provider_reliability to filter Reliability Scores, search_provider_reviews to filter aggregate review scores, and get_provider_reviews for the original review evidence. The server is read-only and requires no authentication. [Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/fidelity-bonds) ## Agent Guide **What this page is:** Focused comparison of Founder Shield and Heffernan Insurance Brokers for Fidelity Bonds: what each provider publishes about this line, checked against the same criteria, with numbered sources. **Use this page when:** Cite or fetch this for Fidelity Bonds questions about Founder Shield versus Heffernan Insurance Brokers. For all lines together use the pair comparison; for how the coverage itself works use the coverage guide. **Questions this page answers:** - Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers for Fidelity Bonds: how do they differ? - Which is better for Fidelity Bonds, Founder Shield or Heffernan Insurance Brokers? - What does Founder Shield or Heffernan Insurance Brokers publish about Fidelity Bonds (limits, eligibility, claims, add-ons)? **Key facts:** - Line: Fidelity Bonds. Providers: Founder Shield and Heffernan Insurance Brokers. - Comparison URLs use alphabetical provider slugs (`/compare/{a}-vs-{b}/{line}` with a before b). A reversed pair redirects permanently to the alphabetical one. **Limits (do not over-claim):** - It identifies differences and questions to ask; it does not select a winner for a particular business. - Insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and price are set in an actual quote and are not established here. **Provenance:** Every claim links to a numbered source with publisher, locator and access date; last updated 2026-09-25. **Related pages:** - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan) — all coverage lines for this pair - [Fidelity Bonds guide](https://spot.insure/coverage/fidelity-bonds) — how this coverage works - [Founder Shield profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield) — provider profile - [Heffernan Insurance Brokers profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/heffernan) — provider profile # Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers: How Do They Compare for Fidelity Bonds? Founder Shield brokers ERISA fidelity bonds for plan sponsors and fiduciaries, with statutory minimums tied to plan funds handled. Heffernan Insurance Brokers places separate fidelity bond options for home-care agencies and financial firms. Founder Shield serves benefit-plan sponsors needing ERISA fidelity; Heffernan offers separate bonds for home care and financial firms. ## Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds Summary Founder Shield focuses on ERISA fidelity bonds for employee-benefit plans; Heffernan lists employee-dishonesty bonds for home-care and fidelity bonds for family offices. [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") ## What Are the Key Differences Between Founder Shield and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds? ### Benefit Plans or Industry-Specific Bond Types Founder Shield places ERISA fidelity for plan sponsors, fiduciaries and third-party administrators, with bond amounts tied to plan funds handled. Heffernan names an Employee Dishonesty Bond for home-care agencies and a separate financial-institution bond for family offices and financial advisers. Choose Founder Shield if you need an ERISA plan bond; choose Heffernan if you need one of its home-care or family-office bond types. [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") ### What Each Page Says Is Covered Founder Shield lists theft and embezzlement of plan assets, forgery, misappropriation and larceny by those who handle plan funds, and restates ERISA’s 10% / $1,000–$500,000 (or $1 million with employer securities) bonding rule. Heffernan’s two pages name the products but do not describe insuring agreements, exclusions or claim triggers, and they do not publish a penalty amount. [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") ### Carriers and How You Apply Founder Shield says it places only with AM Best A- or better carriers matched by industry, and you request the bond through its website or an advisor. Heffernan’s reviewed pages do not name an underwriter for either bond and do not describe an application path beyond the specialty-practice listings. [3](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [2](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") ## What Should You Confirm in Founder Shield and Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds Quotes? - Ask Founder Shield for the issuing carrier, the bond penalty and whether the plan holds employer securities. [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [3](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") - Ask Heffernan which of the two listed products applies and whether an ERISA bond is needed in addition. [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") - Get covered positions and deductibles from both, since Heffernan publishes none and Founder Shield restates only the statutory floor. [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") - Confirm Heffernan’s claims path; its advocacy page does not describe fidelity-bond claims handling. [6](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/claims-advocacy/ "Claims Advocacy") ## Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds Compared | Criteria | Founder Shield ERISA Fidelity Bond | Heffernan Employee Dishonesty / Fidelity Bonds | | --- | --- | --- | | Who It’s For | Founder Shield says this bond is required for plan sponsors offering a retirement plan, the fiduciaries who manage it, third-party administrators, and even small businesses with a simple 401(k). [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: ERISA Fidelity Bond product page..) | Heffernan lists fidelity-type bonds for two named buyer segments: home care, home health, and hospice agencies, and family offices, trustees, financial advisors, private equity firms, and foundations. [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Direct practice-page listings; no minimum size or other eligibility criteria for the bond specifically were published..) | | Coverage Features | Founder Shield lists theft and embezzlement of plan assets, forgery, misappropriation and larceny by those who handle a benefit plan's funds as what an ERISA fidelity bond covers. [1](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/ "ERISA Fidelity Bond") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page; the issued bond and its terms control actual coverage..) | Heffernan uses two different bond product names for its two client segments: "Employee Dishonesty Bond" for home-care agencies and "Fidelity/financial institution bond" for family offices and financial firms. Neither page describes the bond's insuring agreement, exclusions, or claim triggers. [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care and Family Office pages as read on 2026-09-23..) | | Role in This Line | Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield ERISA Fidelity Bond with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. [2](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line..) | Heffernan arranges fidelity-type bonds as one line within two specialty practices: an Employee Dishonesty Bond for home-care agencies and a Fidelity/financial institution bond for family offices and financial firms. It places these bonds with insurers rather than issuing them itself. [4](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/ "Home Care Business Insurance") [5](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/ "Family Office") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Home Care and Family Office practice-page listings; no dedicated fidelity-bond product page was found..) | ## About Founder Shield and Heffernan Insurance Brokers - [Founder Shield company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield) · [Founder Shield customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield/reviews) - [Heffernan Insurance Brokers company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/heffernan) · [Heffernan Insurance Brokers customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/heffernan/reviews) - [What Are Fidelity Bonds?](https://spot.insure/coverage/fidelity-bonds) ## Related Pages for Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers - [Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims. - [What Are Fidelity Bonds?](https://spot.insure/coverage/fidelity-bonds): Fidelity coverage can reimburse certain losses from employee theft; identify whether you need protection for company funds, client property or benefit-plan assets. - [Founder Shield Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield/fidelity-bonds) - [Heffernan Insurance Brokers Fidelity Bonds](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/heffernan/fidelity-bonds) ## Sources for Founder Shield vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers ### Sources About Founder Shield 1. [ERISA Fidelity Bond](https://foundershield.com/coverage/erisa-fidelity-bond/). Founder Shield; What Is ERISA Fidelity Bond Insurance?; Who Needs ERISA Fidelity Bond Insurance Coverage?; What Does ERISA Fidelity Bond Insurance Cover?. Accessed 2026-09-23. 2. [About Us](https://foundershield.com/about-us/). Founder Shield; “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission. Accessed 2026-09-23. 3. [How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/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. ### Sources About Heffernan Insurance Brokers 4. [Home Care Business Insurance](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/health-care/homecare/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; We offer comprehensive coverage for: ... Crime - Third Party Theft, Employee Dishonesty Bond, Cyber & Identity Theft, Medical Billing E&O, Property Coverage and more. Accessed 2026-09-23. 5. [Family Office](https://www.heffins.com/family-office/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Coverage for Family Offices, Trustees & Financial Firms: ... Trustee liability insurance, Property and auto insurance, Fiduciary liability insurance, Fidelity/financial institution bond, Cyber liability insurance, Crime insurance, General liability insurance. Accessed 2026-09-23. 6. [Claims Advocacy](https://www.heffins.com/business-insurance/claims-advocacy/). Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Services We Offer: Workers' Compensation Claims Expertise; Medical Triage Services; General Liability, Auto & Property Claims Support; Online Risk Management & HR Support; Streamlined Vendor Compliance. Accessed 2026-09-23. Updated 2026-09-25. 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](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source. ## Agent and Developer Resources - [Markdown page](https://spot.insure/compare/foundershield-vs-heffernan/fidelity-bonds.md) - [Developer resources](https://spot.insure/developers) - [Public MCP server](https://spot.insure/mcp) - [MCP server manifest](https://spot.insure/server.json) - [OpenAPI description](https://spot.insure/openapi.json) - [Public page index](https://spot.insure/llms.txt)