Recommendations for business entity in TX?

[Oscar Macal]

Hi all,

I'm trying to decide what the "best" business entity and/or strategy would be to purchase rental property? I have saved up the funds I need to buy my first SF rental property and want to know what is the best way to protect myself as I continue in the future to purchase more rentals and eventually plan to get into commercial properties. 

I'm a natural analyst, so I run through every possible scenario, good and bad, and want to be prepared for anything. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst" mentality. My two biggest concerns are the following:

* Keeping my assets protected - If I get in a car wreck and sued, or something of the sorts, I want to be able to keep my rentals "hidden" away and not brought in as an asset that could potentially be taken from me, as I plan to have them provide for my retirement.

* Protecting my personal credit - I have worked hard since I got my first credit card 10 years ago, to keep my credit flawfless and to this day, it is. Zero missed payments, zero collections, etc. Since life throws unexpected curve balls, I want to be prepared. If for whatever reason, worst case scenario, I lost all my tenants and could not pay the rental mortgages with my job income, how can I protect myself from ruining my credit?

I have thought about buying all properties in my name and then transferring them into a business name (LLC, S/C corp, etc), but need to know which one would be the "best" choice to transfer them into that would help to address my concerns?

I understand that there is no perfect answer, but any guidance or suggestions are appreciated. 

Oscar