A special fund is established and placed under the management of the board for the purpose of providing retirement allowances and other benefits under this article for members of the fund. The fund shall be known as the Alabama Peace Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund, by and in which name all of its business shall be transacted, all of its funds invested, and all of its cash and securities and other property held in trust for the purposes for which received. All amounts received by the board pursuant to this article shall be paid into the fund. The board shall have such control of the fund as shall not be inconsistent with this article and with the laws of the state. All moneys of the board shall either be deposited into the State Treasury or in a special trust account or accounts in any bank or banks in the state, each of which shall have a combined capital and surplus of not less than two million dollars ($2,000,000) and may be withdrawn therefrom by vouchers or checks signed by the executive director pursuant to authorization given by the board. All investments of moneys in the fund shall be either deposited with the State Treasurer for safekeeping upon receipt of the State Treasurer therefor or deposited with any bank in a custodial account. The board may expend moneys in the fund in accordance with this article and invest any moneys received pending other needs therefor in any investments in those classes of bonds, mortgages, common and preferred stocks, shares of investment companies or mutual funds, or other investments as the board, or its agents as the agents are authorized to act on behalf of the board, may, from time to time, approve with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with investment matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a similar character and with similar aims and objectives. The board may enter into contracts with registered investment advisors pursuant to which custody of the assets of the fund are delivered to the advisor which shall invest and reinvest the assets for the benefit of the fund in investments permitted under this section. The selection of the investment shall be totally in the discretion of the registered investment advisor subject only to guidelines established by the board. For purposes of this section, a registered investment advisor is a person or entity registered as an investment advisor under subsection (b) of Section 8-6-3. No member of the board shall have any interest in any investment or receive any commission with respect thereto.