Your job keeps your brain active. So when you retire, you might seek a place that offers stimulation, so that you don't get bored. But you also have to be able to afford to live there. And, if you're a benefits professional, you work in an industry that focuses a lot on health care, so you might also be expecting a place that provides access to good medical care.

Kiplinger looked into the most stimulating locales for retirees, then added in those other factors. It came up with 12 that it says not only are moderately affordable but also provide residents with colleges and universities that can not only provide higher education but also access to such outside activities as concerts, lectures and even sporting events.

But it didn't forget about the issue of access to health care. As a result, each of the cities listed below also has at least one hospital nearby that was rated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as worthy of four or five stars—their highest ratings.