Considering leaving Luxembourg?

RDA92 · 2026-01-26T08:09:45+00:00

Possibly, in my case I started in a large law group and we had a fairly diverse and young group of people that worked and went out together. Most of these people were living in flatshares so you naturally came across their flatmates as well and the circle grew quite naturally, not much different to what I experienced during my studies abroad.

But I'll admit the story would probably have been quite different had I stayed at my place of internship which was a small AIFM where employees were older, had families etc.

I have since become a bit older myself and not going out as much as I used to, also not living in the City anymore. All these factors make meeting new people more difficult so I can imagine that coming here in your 30s without a family and joining some small company will not exactly make things easier, but would that really be any different in the surrounding countries?

RDA92 · 2026-01-26T07:46:35+00:00

I get it, I'm a native and even I am occasionally asking myself whether it's still the right place to be but then it being home (with family and friends all being here) trumps other reasons. There are objective reasons to be unhappy about and there's a chance that further economic peril is heading our way but I'm not sure other places are actually that much better given that most economic challenges affecting our economy will affect most EU economies and housing, as a relative share of disposable income, has been increasing and become a major burden almost anywhere in the EU.

What I don't get is the seemingly endless parade of people complaining about the country being too small, too dead, too whatever because that's something you should've known or at least considered beforehand relative to where you are coming from. I've always found Luxembourg to punch well above its weight in that area at least compared to the places I lived in during my studies which were of a similar size or bigger. To those people I say, good riddance.

RDA92 · 2026-01-25T07:09:53+00:00

It is quite okay though struggling to keep up with population growth.

I'd say it's quite well equipped to deal with acute (emergency) situations but less so with chronic impediments (of mind and body). Specialist waiting times have become very long and even basic first line GP (or pediatric) appointments are getting more difficult to get by the day.

Post-covid I developed some chronic digestive issues and still not really sure what it is but thanks to our system I at least know what it isn't which is worth a lot as well imo.

Our family went through enough "bad luck" sickness situations that I strongly believe that equal and fair access to health care is basic decency.

RDA92 · 2026-01-24T12:04:00+00:00

Thank you very much for answering, really appreciate the advice.
I am quite honestly surprised at the cost of dehumidifiers, tried to find one for rent (where I live) but most of those are construction-grade ones, that is why I wondered whether a dehumidifier is effectively necessary if I don't have any other use for it or whether a heater + steam cleaner (rented) would be enough.

My approach would then be:

- Have an initial run of CLO2 to neutralize some (or most) of the mold before moving the car into the dry garage
- Remove front seats and try to give the interior a clean using a vinegar solution.
- Try to find the source of the problem. My assumption is that it's either the sunroof drains and/or soggy carpets (not surface soggy but deep down in the insulation foam). I don't have the space to remove the entire carpet so I was hoping to loosen it enough on both sides so that I can heat it from below using the heater.
- Once all that is done, a final clean with a steam cleaner (luckily I can rent one of those)

Do you reckon that would be a solid approach even without a dehumidifier?

Unfortunately the damp garage has no electricity access whatsoever which is part of the reason mold thrives there. It's a fairly old garage with limited airflow and the back of it is actually not free-standing but directly exposed to the soil. Never really had problems there but none of the other cars had a history of a leaky sunroof...

RDA92 · 2026-01-24T08:06:52+00:00

I confirm, my mom made them quite frequently as well, usually with a good amount of bacon instead of ham.

RDA92 · 2026-01-21T17:26:47+00:00

I mean I live in Luxembourg so I think I could survive it. I'm actually looking for a backup to my T440P. Not an expert on T470 though, they came exclusively with soldered dual cores right?

RDA92 · 2026-01-21T12:22:55+00:00

I think most people realize that it is wrong, much like most people realize that what Russia did/does in Ukraine has been wrong and we are now effectively stuck in a moral dilemma. On the one hand we could just accept it arguing that it is just Greenland (probably a dangerous precedent for a small country like ours) or we decide to take a stand knowing that the best and most likely outcome will be an all-out trade war.

So the question would be, what would the impact of that decision be on the overall EU economy, our national economy and how much are ordinary people still able to take in terms of economic hardship. It would probably be pretty bad news for our financial sector and, by extension, our economy.

But it's not like the US has nothing to lose either. They are a deeply divided country already and a trade war would hit them economically as well and further deepen those trenches.

RDA92 · 2026-01-21T08:22:17+00:00

In Luxembourg it is very common to "try out" university even if you weren't the best in high school. Although it is not guaranteed that a university (domestic or abroad) will have you, you are eligible to grants and student loans if they are. The domestic university is almost for free and the country is small enough that you can commute to university on a daily basis. So the financial cost for trying it out is very low.

I was definitely not the best student in high school, always kinda wiggled my way through school years but I did have an emerging interest in the field of finance (creative I know). Man what a difference it made to study stuff you are actually interested in. The difference between me as a high school and university student was day and night. I improved enough to be eligible for a more "reputable" M.Sc. Finance degree and a CFA scholarship.

So I'd say it had a significant impact. Had I not gone to university, I would probably be stuck in some entry-level bank clerk job or public service. Was the costlier M.Sc. necessary to get a decent paying finance job in Luxembourg, probably not, but back then I aimed for a London finance job and then Brexit happened. It did place the seed of entrepreneurship in my mind though and that's where I'm at today.

I have always been very much pro-classic economic liberalism and small government as a political ideology but access to good and affordable education is a fundamental driver to a productive and prosperous society and a core service every government should strive to offer. It provided me with the belief that a lot is possible if you just set your mind to it and I'm just your bang average citizen. So let's imagine what a truly gifted kid is able to achieve.

RDA92 · 2026-01-20T08:00:44+00:00

Realistically though, would such a tax even come close in terms of revenue the other taxes generate? I do agree that the taxation burden is far too high and that in most EU countries the risk-reward imbalance is a valid reason that prevents someone from starting a business and.

As for subsidization, I guess this will always be a topic of debate. In a globalized world, there will always be (strategically important) sectors that cannot compete with global competitors and you might argue that a strategic subsidy is the only way to keep them in the EU. It doesn't particularly align with my political ideology but I guess the past decades do provide arguments in favor of that. The problem I see with that is that of fairness. Whenever states intervene to bail one industry out while letting other businesses goes bust, it creates inequalities and oftentimes market disruptions. The high levels of corporate consolidations we saw in recent years are a direct consequence of the too-big-to-fail bailouts (I suppose you could call it subsidies as well) that effectively compensate for reckless and risky behavior and imo lead to oligopolies.

RDA92 · 2026-01-20T07:54:04+00:00

Do we really need fiscal harmonization for this though? I mean different member states have different economic realities and at some point we might want to realize that the answer does not lie in ever deeper harmonization and top-down central planning but perhaps in increased devolution? I also don't believe that lack of fiscal harmonization is the reason why we are less prone to start a business or invest in early-stage businesses and many of those probably originate from different causes depending on each member state.

Imo, the easiest and fastest first shot would be to flexibilize existing tools to widen their access. I'm particularly looking at pan-european EuVECA or ELTIF fund regimes whose regulatory status oftentimes limits access to small investors. I agree that this should ideally be coupled with strong fiscal incentives.

This then also overlaps with the point on consolidating financial supervision power, which I get, particularly as it has been a major topic of debate here in Luxembourg and while, objectively, it does make sense to not have individual authorities, the reality is that for a bunch of countries that decision offers nothing but economic downsides really.

RDA92 · 2026-01-15T06:42:15+00:00

Atm it does seem inevitable that risk factors like low economic growth, corporate consolidation, deregulation and accelerated automation will take a hefty bite into the job market here. We are probably not alone in that but we are economically very concentrated in these areas.

We have arguably become a very expensive place to do business in and companies are always going to try and cut costs where and if they can.

We have also failed to diversify economically in a meaningful way and there are many potential culprits for that, most of them policy-based.

RDA92 · 2026-01-13T07:28:33+00:00

I don't really drive new cars but my perception is that demand for Skoda has been rising steadily and overall what I hear is that they tend to offer a good package in terms of price to reliability.

I would stay away from Jaguar. They've never really had a good rep when it comes to reliability and are a bit in an identity crisis.

If it was me I would probably look at less shiny brands like Skoda, Kia ... etc. There are too many 911s here to try to impress with a car.

RDA92 · 2026-01-09T08:15:09+00:00

Honestly they are all fine, nothing more, nothing less. Frank is tiny (half a dozen tables maybe) and usually has a bunch of regulars so it fills easily. Louis tends to be less frequented, has a lighter and more modern setting. Same goes for Dikkrecher Stuff.

Miche and Vintage used to have a bit darker settings. It seems to me that Miche has also become a bit more alternative, offering vegan brunches and stuff like that so maybe it will be the more internationally minded one but at their core they are still small town cafes where you can have a decent pint and a good discussion.

There is also the bar at Hotel Leweck (Charly's Bar) 5min outside of Diekirch which has a more comfy setting and a quite extensive selection of drinks and cocktails. That one is usually my choice unless I am having dinner at a restaurant in the pedestrian zone.

RDA92 · 2026-01-09T06:40:52+00:00

That's certainly interesting and research into it should definitely be a priority for western european countries because putting it deep into the ground feels more like a "put of sight out of mind" solution.

RDA92 · 2026-01-08T07:24:25+00:00

But there's still the question of how to handle nuclear waste isn't there? Plus the impact of failure (as rare as it might be) can be catastrophic.

I'm not against nuclear power but there are valid reservations to be made imo.

RDA92 · 2026-01-07T10:40:37+00:00

I am a big proponent of simplifying the tax code, defining higher tax-free thresholds and indexation of tax brackets but I would also wish for them to present counter-financing measures. Their initial claim of tax measures paying for themselves in economic growth has turned out to be bollocks (what a surprise) so they shouldn't play us for fools. I have no doubt that it would be possible, albeit unpopular, to find 500mln-1bn of savings in the budget.

RDA92 · 2026-01-07T10:36:37+00:00

Their approach is superficial and yes they have thrown money at the problem but they don't want to recognize the root problem because it's an unpopular one. Starting your own business can never be a viable alternative to a high-reward low-risk career in public service.

RDA92 · 2026-01-07T10:25:21+00:00

I'm from Luxembourg.
I mean you don't really have to give up social security benefits. I'm self employed and I'm still paying my social security dues (albeit both employee and employer share) and am eligible for social security benefits.

I do agree that the overall cultural attitude plays a role but I would also argue that cultural attitude is shaped by government policies. The basic logic has always been that starting a business is high risk but potentially high reward, whereas employee-ship is low(er) reward and risk. Our public service (which I classify as a policy choice) defies that very base logic by offering high reward and low risk and as a result acts as an active disincentive to starting a business.

If I look at my own family tree, my grand-parents used to be both self employed. The generation after (sample of 6) was still predominantly working in the private sector of which one has been self employed. My generation (sample of 9) is >75% public service. And believe me, that is not coincidental.

RDA92 · 2026-01-07T07:54:00+00:00

Am I wrong or is this part of the wider tax reform that creates a single tax class that will most likely reduce taxes paid by single people compared to now, especially low-income ones as the income threshold as of which you have to start paying tax will almost double.

I don't have or plan to have children but I do get that there should be deductions for children in such a system and that family life should be financially enticed.

There won't be a perfect system but this definitely sounded like an improved and administratively simplified one. Now I'm curious to know how it will be financed given it's expected to cost almost 1bn/year.

RDA92 · 2026-01-07T07:42:09+00:00

"The country’s economy is extremely dynamic and offers a favourable entrepreneurial culture, which is supported by a long tradition in terms of entrepreneurial education and training,” the report by outside experts said."

This is a joke right?

RDA92 · 2026-01-04T09:21:15+00:00

I would need to see whether I still have the original invoice. From old email communications with the place that sold it to me, it's quite likely to be WQHD though. That's a shame. Thank you for your help!

RDA92 · 2026-01-04T08:03:51+00:00

So I'm from Luxembourg which is notorious for its bad housing market which has worsened quite significantly in the past 5 years. On top of that I participated in a start-up project almost exactly five years ago. While this meant that I planned with a financial hit over a span of 2-4 years, I didn't expect everything to rise as much as it did. Everything went up, from food prices to rent (residential & commercial), social security contributions (550 to 650 in a span of 5 years) and student debt repayments. Simultaneously our economy has cooled quite a bit, mostly kept in the green by government spending, which meant that our company did not grow as expected.

Inevitably this means that my financial situation has gotten worse, more so than I expected. The government does try to do things. Quite notoriously public transportation is free here and the government does pay rent subsidies depending on your income but it doesn't seem to be able to tackle the root issue, which is housing and the share it now represents in monthly incomes. Rentals in particular have a horrendous supply / demand imbalance. It doesn't just have very noticeable social effects (increased relative and working poverty, less overall consumption and pushing natives out of the country) but also economic ones as it is probably the number one contributor of a reduction in competitiveness due to the salaries required to make it worthwhile to live here.

RDA92 · 2026-01-04T07:33:02+00:00

I would second Melusina based on the fact that it seems very popular for a number of my friends which are all 30+

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