Founder Shield vs Marsh McLennan Agency: How Do They Compare for Fiduciary Liability Insurance?

Founder Shield lists fiduciary claims involving risky plan investments, poor advice, benefit-processing errors, and improper denial or change of benefits; Marsh McLennan Agency’s executive-liability overview names fiduciary coverage without setting out plan-specific grants. 6,10

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. 1,2,3,4,5

Read the Founder Shield profile

Read the Founder Shield Fiduciary Liability Insurance page

What Is Marsh McLennan Agency?

Marsh McLennan Agency provides business insurance and employee health and benefits, alongside retirement, wealth, and private-client services across the United States and Canada. Its US small-business page lists six common coverage types and directs buyers to request a personalized quote by phone; the insurer and terms for a specific placement must be confirmed in the proposal. 8,9

Read the Marsh McLennan Agency profile

Read the Marsh McLennan Agency 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. 11,12,13

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Fiduciary Liability Insurance

Coverage Scope and Plan Details

Founder Shield lists fiduciary claims involving risky plan investments, poor advice, benefit-processing errors, and improper denial or change of benefits. It places coverage with third-party carriers, and says the selected insurer depends on the placement. Marsh McLennan Agency’s executive-liability overview names fiduciary coverage without setting out plan-specific grants. For a sponsor comparing the two broker routes, use the listed scenarios to ask whether investment decisions, administration, and benefit determinations are included in the proposed wording. 6 10

Placement and Buyer Questions

Founder Shield says it places with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, selected for the client’s industry, but does not name the issuer before placement. Marsh McLennan Agency also invites an adviser conversation without identifying the insurer in the overview. The policy schedule should name the carrier and any applicable limits. 3 10

What to Confirm in Fiduciary Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Founder Shield which carrier would issue the policy and how the quote treats investment selection and benefit-processing claims. 3
  • Ask Marsh McLennan Agency for the insurer, insured fiduciaries, and plan-administration and investment wording in its proposal. 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.

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

Marsh McLennan Agency

8.2/ 10

Review Score

2 rated sources

There are almost no public customer reviews of Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA). Trustpilot shows 3.2 out of 5, but from a single review, and BBB shows an A grade with four complaints closed in three years.[8][9][1]

Read Marsh McLennan Agency reviews

Offering Details

Founder Shield vs Marsh McLennan Agency: Fiduciary Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaFounder Shield Fiduciary Liability InsuranceMarsh McLennan Agency fiduciary (official overview)
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 Fiduciary Liability Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. 7Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

Marsh McLennan Agency describes arranging fiduciary for the audience stated on the cited product page. 10Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Issuing Insurer

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. 3Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

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. 6Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page.

Organizations seeking executive liability solutions; source does not define plan-specific eligibility. 10Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Coverage Features

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. 6Company-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. 6Company-reported. Fiduciary Liability product page.

The cited product page describes fiduciary liability as a named product in the executive and professional liability suite; the overview does not state plan-specific grants. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 10Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 10Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred.

How to Apply

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. 7,3Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

The page invites organizations to contact a Marsh McLennan Agency adviser or specialist to discuss placement. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 10Company-reported. fiduciary marketed by marsh-mclennan-agency; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Full Comparison

More Founder Shield vs Marsh McLennan Agency Comparisons

Other Fiduciary Liability Insurance Comparisons

Sources

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.

Marsh McLennan Agency

  1. Who We Are. Marsh McLennan Agency; Lines 193-195: ‘a business of Marsh’ and company-listed service lines across US and Canada. This does not establish the legal entity for an account, corporate ownership chart, or insurer role. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Small Business Insurance Solutions. Marsh McLennan Agency; Lines 205-207: small-business audience and call invitation; lines 224-249 list six coverage categories and short descriptions; line 264 is an embedded form whose function is not stated. No form submitted. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Executive and Professional Liability | MMA. Marsh McLennan Agency; Named within the executive and professional liability product suite. Accessed 2026-09-30.

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.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot