Yes. You turn your paper dollars into paper stocks.
Then others tell you how much your paper stock is worth.
It is necessary to understand what a stock is. It represents the ownership of a company, and entitles you to a share of the profits.
So if you buy a utility, for example, you are the part owner of a bunch of power plants, miles of electrical cable and poles, a fleet of trucks, and an office building or two. When customers pay their electric bills, you get a cut of the money.
Paper it is not.