Two states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana and other states may follow suit. A number of other states permit the use pot for medical purposes.

Is it time to review your employee manual to account for this drug?

On-the-job versus off-the-job use
You may have heard of the Washington man who was first in line to purchase marijuana the day it became legal in that state. (The employer had seen him in the local media and was unaware that he had taken the day off.) When the test showed him to be positive for pot use, he was fired. He was later reinstated when it was clear that he was not on the job the day he used the drug.

This is only the first instance of any repercussions for legal marijuana use as it relates to the workplace. It won't be long before there are terminations that come before the Department of Labor for review.

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The Federal Reserve has indicated that rates will be rising, albeit very slowly. What do rising interest rates mean for you?

The most obvious and immediate impact that rising rates have is an increased cost of borrowing. If you have a fixed-rate loan, you are not affected by any change in rates. But if you have a line of credit or other adjustable-rate loan, when banks raise their rates, it will cost you.

What will higher rates for borrowing mean to you? Will you ditch a new project that would have required financing? Will you raise your prices to cover the additional cost of your current debt service? These are the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself now.

As interest rates and borrowing costs rise, consumers may be personally affected (e.g., they'll be paying more for new car loans, etc.), leaving them less to spend.