At that level

you are going to find the cost of advice isn’t worth it - £500 likely initial fee on £10k for example.
Your problem with lower investment amounts is getting the diversification you’ll need, I would say tracker funds (FTSE or global) are a good bet as costs are low.
Fund of funds are also worth considering if you prefer active management, but these will be more expensive in terms of management costs.
Expected returns....good question! Long term 7-8% pa isn’t unreasonable.
Obviously this isn’t guaranteed and you will get the odd brown trouser period - this last 2 weeks being a prime example!

Posted By: JoeyDeacon, Mar 3, 21:21:42