In the meantime, you can lower your tax exposure by using a tax-deferred account to hold dividend-paying stocks, avoiding unnecessary trades and offseting realized capital gains with realized losses.

FORBES: Capital Gains and Dividend Taxes: What's Next

Investors also should remember that a dividend-tax rise concentrated on high earners would affect only a small percentage of the population, while a large portion of dividend stocks are held in pensions and other tax-deferred accounts.

WSJ: Upside: Preparing for a Dividend-Tax Hike

The reduction in marginal tax rates is excellent for Silicon Valley, the dividend tax proposal will lower the cost of capital (even for startups) and the new tax-deferred savings vehicles will increase investment.

FORBES: Digital Rules