Rising

Based on a finding of changed circumstances, the trial court modified a spousal support order by immediately lowering the amount of support from $3,750 to $3,000 per month. The court further ordered that on July 1, 1999 (approximately 11 months after the date of the order) support was to automatically “step-down” to $2,000 per month and on January 1, 2001, it would automatically decrease to $1,500 per month. Although wife does not challenge the order to the extent it immediately reduces monthly support payments from $3,750 to $3,000, she contends the court erred by ordering future automatic reductions (or step-downs) because there was no evidence she would have decreased needs on July 1, 1999, and January 1, 2001.

*474 We conclude we must reverse the step-down order because the trial court did not give adequate reasons to support it. In this case, the court would have been justified in immediately decreasing the support payments to $1,500 per month. Arguably, the court chose to phase in the reduction over two and one-half years to give wife time to adjust to the decreased support. Had the trial court expressly stated on the record that this is what it was doing, we would…