New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- With the festive season upon us around the corner, many people are looking for meaningful gifts for family and friends. One option is to gift financial assets such as shares, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or mutual fund units, which can continue to grow long after the festivities are over.

Gifting these investments is now simpler than before. How you do it depends on the mode in which your investments are held, and the tax treatment depends on who receives the gift. Here is how you can do it.

If your shares, ETFs or mutual fund units are in a demat account, you can gift them by transferring them directly to the recipient's demat account without selling them. This is called an off-market transfer. This is a direct m...