You can outpace inflation by having your IRA spread out into many mutual funds of many asset classes (diversify). I have mine in 40+ mutual funds, with 3/4ths of them in equity mutual funds (stocks) and the other 1/4th in mutual funds of bonds, treasuries, and money markets.
Then when it's time to withdraw on one to live off of (either 4% of your portfolio annually, or 1/3rd of 1% monthly) I withdraw from whichever funds have the highest balance (sell high). And at the end of the year, figure out how much your taxable income will be after deductions (your AGI) and how much more taxable income you can have without going into a higher tax bracket. That's the amount you convert some of your IRA money into a Roth IRA (again, spread out across many asset classes). From then on that amount grows tax free.
Very good ideas.