Broker

Key terms image

Agent

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) is a federal law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees and job applicants who are 40 years of age or older on the basis of age. ADEA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, labor organizations, employment agencies, and the federal government. The key features of the ADEA include:

Agent as a Fiduciary

An Agent as a Fiduciary in insurance refers to an insurance agent or broker who is legally obligated to act in the best interests of their clients and to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. This means that the agent must put the client's interests ahead of their own and provide advice that is based solely on the client's needs.

Broker

In insurance, a broker is a licensed professional who acts as an intermediary between insurance buyers and insurance companies. The broker's role is to help clients find and purchase insurance policies that meet their needs and budget.

Captive Agent

In insurance, a captive agent is a licensed insurance agent who works exclusively for a single insurance company. The agent's role is to sell and service insurance policies offered by their company to customers.

Fiduciary Responsibility

Fiduciary responsibility in insurance refers to the legal and ethical obligation of a person or organization to act in the best interests of another party when managing their assets or funds. In the insurance industry, fiduciary responsibility applies to insurance agents, brokers, and other professionals who are responsible for managing their clients' insurance policies and coverage.

Managing General Agent (MGA)

A Managing General Agent (MGA) is a type of insurance intermediary who is authorized to underwrite, bind, and manage insurance policies on behalf of an insurance carrier.

Non-Captive (Independent) Agent

A non-captive or independent insurance agent is a licensed insurance agent who represents multiple insurance companies and is not tied to any one insurer.

Personal Producing General Agent (PPGA)

A Personal Producing General Agent (PPGA) is an insurance agent who works as a hybrid between a general agent and a producer. PPGAs are responsible for both managing a team of producers and selling insurance themselves.

Producers

In insurance, a producer is an individual or organization authorized by an insurer to sell or solicit insurance policies.

Next Up

This month, Catalyst makes prospecting and outreach easier with AI-powered email creation, more powerful search filters, improved industry and Workers' Comp data, broader access to Mployer data through AI assistants, and improvements to Advanced Analytics.
According to Mployer Insights’ 2026 analysis of 76,000+ employer benefit plans, basic group life insurance achieves near-universal participation with an 83% employer offer rate and a 97% employee enrollment rate, driven by the fact that 96% of basic plans are noncontributory (100% employer-paid). While 47% of employers structure life insurance as a variable multiple of earnings—with 1x salary serving as the dominant national standard (62% of multiple-based plans)—flat-dollar benefit options vary widely from $8,500 (10th percentile) to $48,793 (90th percentile). Additionally, 92% of employers offer employee-paid voluntary life insurance to allow workers to bridge the gap toward the recommended 10–12x salary coverage target.
According to Mployer Insights’ 2026 analysis of 76,000+ employer benefit plans, disability insurance remains a major market differentiator, with only 41% of U.S. employers offering short-term disability (STD) and 38% offering long-term disability (LTD). While 60% salary replacement serves as the national standard across both benefit types, standard plan designs disproportionately expose higher earners due to median benefit caps of $1,602/week for STD and $8,273/month for LTD. Furthermore, alignment between STD benefit durations (median 26 weeks) and LTD elimination periods (68% at 90 days) remains a critical area for plan structure optimization.