Festive Gift Ideas: SIPs, Not Sweets

India is the land of festivals, and Diwali tops the chart not just because it is celebrated across the country, but the grandeur, the lights, the sweets, and most importantly, homecoming during Diwali make it one of the most special festivals. Diwali is not only about lights; it is also about festival gifts that every loved one waits for the whole year. During this time of the year, your refrigerators get filled with packets of sweets, and you do the same with others as well, don’t you? Because gifting sweets is like a ritual during this festival, why not make this Diwali a little more precious for your loved ones, and add more value to their lives with a unique Diwali gift idea? 

Wondering what this new Diwali gift is all about? 

Well, that takes us to a different side of Diwali, which is finances. We invest or buy at least something on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras, which comes right before Diwali, considering it to be lucky for the entire year. So, why not this Diwali actually gift something that will help your loved ones grow financially too in the long term? 

If you are thinking, how can you do that, wait, it is not that difficult with a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP). If you already invest in mutual funds, or even if you are on Instagram, by now you must have heard the term SIP, haven’t you? It is a method of investing in mutual funds periodically to build wealth over the long term. 

Why SIP and what makes it so special as a Diwali Gift?

SIP is not just about investment; it is about building a discipline around investment, which you may want to see your loved ones adopt, isn’t it? SIP is about investing a fixed amount of money (you can increase it over time) in a mutual fund regularly to build a corpus in the long term. With the power of compounding and benefits like rupee cost averaging, even an SIP of a small amount can help you build a significant corpus over time. 

Suppose you have a kid who is around 5 years of age, and you want to give him or her the best education. Now, with the rising cost of education, it is important to plan the finances well in advance. So, this Diwali, you can gift your kid an SIP to build a corpus for the next 15 years that can help in availing the best of education he or she wants. While as a kid, they may not understand this Diwali gift idea now, but will eventually understand how meaningful this festival gift was when they grow up. 

When you gift someone an SIP, you are making a path for them to financial freedom, and what other gift can beat a financially free person, isn’t it?

Benefits of Gifting SIPs During Festivals 

1. Gift that Grows: While on Diwali, most people gift sweets, and other gifts for Diwali like dresses, cosmetics, and other items, which are basically short-lived and do not have any growth aspect in them. However, with SIP, you are gifting your loved one something that will grow with time, with the benefits of compounding and others. It will help them build a financial backbone for themselves. 
2. Building Financial Discipline: When you are gifting an SIP to someone, you are taking the first step for them towards their financial discipline, which they can build on. It will encourage them to develop better financial habits and also build a consistent, long-term approach towards investments and lead to wealth creation over time. 
3. Affordable, and Meaningful: If you have to gift a good quality sweet box or any other gift box this Diwali, it will easily cost you more than ₹2k or even more, and that too for something which will be there for a few days or a few months may be. But with the same amount, you can start an SIP for your loved ones, which can actually grow in the long run and remain meaningful and valuable for life. 
4. Professional Guidance and Tax Benefits: If you gift an ELSS mutual fund SIP, then your loved one can also have tax benefits, as ELSSs offer the same for investing in them. As mutual funds are professionally managed, you can get guidance on how to navigate rough markets and build a significant corpus with small regular investments. 
5. Goodwill and Prosperity: Finally, Diwali is all about goodwill and prosperity, and when you gift someone an SIP, you are actually sharing not only love but genuine care for that person, and wishing them prosperity, isn’t it? 

How can you gift an SIP to your loved ones?

Now you must be thinking how you can invest in an SIP for someone else as a Diwali gift, aren’t you? So, it is not rocket science as you are presuming it to be. Here are certain steps that you can follow to plan the best gift for Diwali this year. 

• First, you need to understand and analyze the person to whom you are gifting an SIP. Consider their age, risk tolerance capabilities, financial aspirations, and life goals to screen mutual fund schemes to suit their profile. If you are gifting it to a young professional who has just started his or her career, you can pick an equity mutual fund SIP for them, while if you are gifting it to one of your elderly relatives, it will be better to go for a hybrid or a debt fund SIP. 
• Once you have understood the type of SIP you need to gift, it’s time to pick the right fund. For this, check the following to determine which suits you best –
  • Performance history 
  • Fund managers record
  • Risk quotient
• Now it’s time to set up the SIP. You can open it just with the name of the person you are gifting it to or as a joint account. Most mutual fund SIPs require online processing, which is seamless these days. 
• Select the investment tenure and the monthly amount of investment that you want to invest for the duration for which you want to invest to build a desired corpus. 
• All done, now you can forward the email you have received from the fund house, or to make it more special, you can download the investment certificate and details, and physically mail it to the person to add that personal touch. 

So, are you making it special for your loved ones this Diwali?

While everyone comes up with some or the other gifts this festive season, what can truly set you apart and make your loved ones feel special is the thought you put into finding Diwali gift ideas and deciding the Diwali gift for them that actually matters. While most of the gifts will not even be remembered after a few days, an SIP will not only be remembered, but your loved one can rely on the same for life. What else can be more precious than such a festival gift, isn’t it?

Festive Gift Ideas: SIPs, Not Sweets | FAQs

Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks; read all the related documents carefully before investing.