It seems that the first step to defensive planning is to get your assets out of your own name. Correct?

We agree. Unless your assets are exempt, title them to a protective entity. As long as the entity itself is not a debtor, then a subsequent transfer by that entity will not be considered fraudulent under the UFTA. Accordingly, when creditor threat arises, you can then reinforce the entity or transfer the asset to a new entity, with less fraudulent transfer concerns because the UFTA only considers transfers the debtor makes as being fraudulent. Furthermore, restructuring an entity so that a creditor of the entity's owner cannot reach the entity's assets for its owner's debts usually does not involve a transfer, and is therefore not considered to be a fraudulent transfer in most states. Even if it is, as long as the entity is not a debtor, then a transfer from the non-debtor entity to another entity is usually not considered fraudulent under fraudulent transfer law.