A host of companies have announced special dividend distributions in the last month or so, and I expect more to do so before the end of the year. A dividend is a payment from a company to anyone who owns a share in that company and usually occurs regularly throughout the year. A special dividend is a one-time payment at the company’s discretion and can be in any amount the company sees fit to pay. These special dividends are happening now before the end of 2012 as tax rates on dividends are expected to increase due to new tax IRS …