Luxembourg Times

US companies are stepping up their assault on Europe’s asset management industry, with takeover spending at its highest in decades as the continent’s fund groups struggle in the race to bulk up and expand globally. Acquisitions of European asset and wealth managers by US groups have risen to more than $14 billion (€12 billion) so far this year, according to Dealogic, the highest over equivalent periods since at least 1995, when the data series began.

Stéphanie D’Accardo has a gift for helping people feel at home. In her day job she is a private banker at Edmond de Rothschild. But in her leisure time, the “Belgian girl with Sicilian roots” - as D’Accardo describes herself - spends time homestaging, investing in real estate and renovating houses. “All the things related to the decoration part and so on, I do it myself,” she says, though sometimes she’ll work with other people for the heavy lifting. “I also try to keep sustainability in mind.

A former teacher has developed a Moselle retreat combinining tourism and agriculture, offering accommodation, sustainable cusine and flower classes. Stefanie Hildebrand and her husband André took over the farm in the village of Kapenacker, a hamlet in the municipality of Wormeldange with just a handful of houses, a few years ago. The 61-year-old has breathed new life into the building by turning the farm, which is over 100 years old, into a rural getaway through the help of an architect friend.

Talks between Luxembourg’s doctors’ association and public health insurer have failed, following a year of conflict between the two bodies whose relationship is governed by a convention that dictates things such as billing and insurance procedures for patients and doctors. The Association of Doctors’ and Dentists’ (AMMD) has been particularly vocal on the talks over the past months, with the head of the body, Chris Roller, repeatedly saying its demands are not being met.

Smoke from Belgium’s largest wildfire last weekend spread over to Luxembourg with residents reporting smells, as well as clouds of smoke visible across the country. The fire broke out in the High Fens - a nature reserve on the Belgian-German border. The Grand Duchy sent firefighters and equipment over the border to aid its Belgian counterparts. Luxembourg sent text alerts to its residents, with the first message issued around 15:00 on Sunday.

The Luxembourg Times is looking at financial literacy at different life stages: what people should know about their personal finances as they start, or start to think about, a key chapter of their life. In episode four, we explore buying your first home. For many people, it is the most important financial decision they will ever make. Buying a home, particularly your first one, is thrilling, gratifying, reassuring, time-consuming, and nerve-wracking all at the same time.

It is a story passed down from generation to generation. A story that has almost become a family legend, in Goy Grosbusch’s own words. It dates back to 1917, the year his great-grandfather, Jean-Pierre Grosbusch, opened a small grocery shop on Rue Dicks-Lentz in Differdange. A grocery shop from a bygone era, where they still distilled their own liqueurs. Without realising it, he laid the foundation for an entrepreneurial adventure that would span more than a century - and four generations.

I love a juicy burger with all the trimmings. I’m no BBQ expert - when I make a burger, it’s a classic version with beef, pickles, mustard and cheese, no ketchup. Add a few slices of slightly caramelised tomato - et voilà. It tastes delicious. Instead of a Coke or beer I much prefer a glass of wine with mine, but find myself reaching for the same bottle time and again. So, this summer, I embarked on a wine and burger pairing experiment.

The 684th edition of the Schueberfouer was officially opened late on Friday afternoon in the presence of Mayor Lydie Polfer and Lämmy, the fair’s mascot. Running until 9 September, this year’s edition will host 214 fairground operators, welcoming visitors for 20 days of rides, game stalls and food outlets. Despite the rain, the capital’s Glacis area - the large paved area between the Faïencerie and Theater tram stops - was once again full of colour and life as the Schueberfouer opened on Friday.

It may no longer have carnival rides or a parade, but some 125 years after it first started, the Schobermesse organised by the Luxembourg Brotherhood of America in Illinois is still going strong. The one-day event in early August attracts around 300 visitors these days, according to organising committee chairman, and president of the Grand Lodge of the brotherhood, George Jones.